}
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May 23.-In the morning we passed the small village of Taota, where out of fifteen mud houses five are inns. The inhabitants are liquorice-plant workers, for the root grows here in some profusion. Agents of Chinese and foreign firms come the round to buy the root.
May 24.-Crossing over some hills we reached the ferry at the Yellow River in the early afternoon. A few houses, mostly eating houses, have sprung up round the ferry, which is 2 miles above a fort called Hung cheaung tze, where a major in charge of sixty or seventy men is stationed.
The stream is here a quarter of a-mile broad, 5 to 6 feet deep, and the current fairly swift. There were eight boats on the right bank, and a dozen on the left. These are privately owned by a few families, who are very jealous of their business.
They pay no fee to Government, but undertake to convey officials across the stream free of charge. As officials invariably give a handsome present, this arrangement must be eminently satisfactory.
The amount of traffic varics very much. Passengers of the coolic class pay 5 cents (1d.). For my 6 animals, a mass of luggage, and six men, I paid a tael (3s.), but the ferryman had to accompany us as far as Ninghsia--14 miles on the other side of the river-to be paid. There are two sizes of boats, the smaller carry ten camels, the larger twenty. We had the usual difficulty in embarking the camels. On the left bank there are only two huts, both of which sell food.
The contrast between the two shores is most marked, the right being desolate, brown, unfertile and uncultivated, the left green from the edge of the water, and 2 miles later entirely cultivated and rich with fine trees, while farm buildings are scattered about profusely. The first 2 miles from the river remain uncultivated, being liable to Bloods, but are covered with grass, rushes, and irises. An excellent road winds towards Ninghsia, and where the edge of cultivation comes, poplars, willows, elms, and fruit trees commence. The road makes many detours to avoid or cross the numerous canals -some broad, others narrow-which bring the water of the Hoangho all over the plain. These canals are crossed by bridges of wood and earth supported on wooden piles, and are not very soli. The chief crops are wheat, opium, rice, millet, tobacco, vines, cucumbers, melons, garlic, and radishes, and vegetables and fruits of all kinds. But tens of thousands of acres are given up to the cultivation of the poppy. Many farms nestle among the trees, while occasionally the road winds through a small village, such as Chen Chia Chiao at 7 miles from the river, and from which the two pagodas of Ninghsia are visible. There are occasional ruins-relies of the rebellion-but they are not numerous, and even round these the land is all cultivated. Indeed the district would seem to have recovered from its troubles, and the best description of the stretch of land between the river and the town is that given by Gerbillon, who travelled over it in 1697, and not that given by Rockhill, whe saw it at the height of its devastation, i.e.,. in 1892. The latter talks of "ruined villages and weed-grown fields." Gerbillon says: "On ne voit point de villages dans cette campagne, mais on la peut appeler un village continuel: car les maisons des paysans y sont répandues de tous côtés environ à cent pas l'une de l'autre plus ou moins
Enfin, ce pays est un des plus beaux et des meilleurs que j'aie jamais vus."
Opium in the Ordos, Kansu and Alashan, and Yellow River Valley.
Between Kweihuachung and Tutschöng on the Yellow River opium smoking continues unabated.
In the Ordos I came across extremely few cases among the Chinese permanent colonists and none among the Mongols.
At Borobalgassan the missionaries told me that no opium is grown in the district, the soil not being damp enough for it; a good deal is, however, smoked not so much by the Christians (Chinese and Mongol), but by the heathen. It is obtained in great quantities from Ninghsiafu. The missionaries punish any of their converts whom they find smoking as severely as they can. Nothing whatever has been done to check the evil or to enforce the Edicts. Mongols who do not come in contact with Chinese are rarely said to be smokers.
Between Borobalgasson and Ninghsiafu (by the route outside the Wall) opium continues to be smoked as before, and nothing has been done at any of the district towns or villages to check the evil; the drug is brought from Ninghsia, and we used to meet almost every day a few donkeys or mules loaded with opium boxes coming from Ninghsia.
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So many thousand acres round Ninghsia are given up to the cultivation of the poppy that there is little room for anything else to grow. It is planted right up to the walls of the city in defiance of Imperial utterances. The whole population inside the walls seem to sinoke, whether men, women, or children, and opium is sold openly at the street corners. As may be imagined, it is extremely cheap. The poverty of the town may be ascribed chiefly to the use of this drug.
The Taotai has done nothing to check the evil beyond issue an occasional Procla- mation. He made one effort to enforce his wishes, but the Mahommedans of the neighbourhood, who are the chief growers, seeing their chief source of wealth threatened, appeared in force outside the yamên, threatened a revolt, and forced the Taotai to recede from his attitude, The Mahommedans do not smoke themselves, it should be added.
At Alashan (Dinyuaning) a little opium is grown and a considerable amount smoked, chiefly by the Chinese; the Mougols are too busy there poisoning themselves with their cheap brandy to take to other drugs. Opium was introduced at Alashan by the retinues of the Manchu wives of the Princes.
All along the roads leading to Alashan opium continues unabated; one inn resembled a den; we arrived late in the evening and found all the inhabitants of the place lying round the room on kangs sinoking hard.
So long as the land continues fertile north of Ninghsia along the Yellow River, ie, as far as Pinglohsien, field after field grows nothing but poppy, and smoking in the villages is universal.
At Santaubo the peasants try to cultivate the poppy and smoke opium, but the Christians are held in check by the priests, and obey grumblingly; the heathen both cultivate the poppy and smoke.
Opium is as obtainable here from Bautu as from Ninghsia, and is as cheap.
It will thus be seen that Ninghsiafu infects the whole country for a radius of very many miles, and until a firm Governor is sent there, with a force on which he can rely, and prepared to run the risk of a Mahommedan revolt, it is useless to expect any change in the outlying districts. When, and not until, Ninghsia falls into line there may be some improvement.
Wherever there are camps of liquorice workers the majority of the coolies are opium smokers; they obtain the drug from their homes in Shansi.
Between the Yellow River and Bantu little poppy is grown; opium is, however, smoked freely; between Bantu and Kweihuacheng the greater part of the land is given up to the poppy, and the road runs for mile after mile between nothing but opium. The authorities are apathetic. The new Governor of Salatsi was showing some energy in the matter. In some places the natives had been told that they must plant one-tenth less of their fields with the poppy this year than last; though this order may be obeyed in the letter, I doubt its being so in the spirit, for the present at any rate, for the poppy will only be sown closer together for one year at any rate.
Less poppy is cultivated in the Kweihuacheng Plain north of the town, the ground being too dry; it is, however smoked. All my carters and escort were opium sots. It flourishes as far as the last Chinese Settlement towards the north; after that I did not meet with any cases (none among the Mongols) until the Chinese Colony of Urga was reached.
Ninghsiafu.
We entered the town by the east gate; the city is of the usual pattern, the north and south walls being some 14 miles long, the east and west only mile long. The shops, which are situated chiefly in the main east to west street, are squalid and the inns poor and miserable. It was impossible to get anything to eat except rice and eggs, for the inhabitants had been praying for rain for four days, and during that time no animal could be killed. The people had worked themselves up to a fanatical frenzy, and the much hoped for rain not falling, were inclined to be unfriendly to foreigners. The Magistrate was anxious to invite me to dine, but excused himself on the ground that there was no meat in the town.
The China Inland Mission have a station in the town but few adherents; the missionaries seem to be on excellent terms with everyone, including the highest officials and their families, and to exercise a wonderful influence for good, however slight the success of their proselytizing effort may be. The Roman Catholics have also a station here, but no foreign missionaries; they claim many adherents. The Postal and Telegraph service is said to be efficient. Letters leave every five days via
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