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to Yun Ho. This country was extremely difficult to travel in owing to its moun- tainous nature, without any flat land anywhere, even in the valleys.
It took us, however, into what is probably the most secluded part of Chekiang, which is rarely visited by foreigners-missionary or traveller and as rarely by Chinese, for there is nothing in the way of trade to take them there. The magistrate of Tai Shun told me that I was the only foreigner to visit the place in his experience of two years there. This part of the country is sparsely populated, wild, and much is uncultivated. Its seclusion, however, served our purpose well, and enabled us to judge what effect was being given to opium suppression in the out-of-the-way parts of the province. After leaving the Ping Yang plain one and a half days were spent A tribe in the mountains of that district before reaching the border of Tai Shun. who are possibly akin to the Miaotzu and speak a language of their own inhabits the mountains in the Ching Ning, Yun Ho and Ch'u Chou districts.
Subsidiary roads were followed from Taishun via Ching Ning to Yun Ho, where we took boats to Ch'u Chou, which we reached on the 29th April, having taken eight days from Ping Yang, 730 li (243 miles).
At Ch'u Chou the Rev. Pastor Röhn told me that two men had been shot three weeks previously for cultivating opium there; both had only grown a few plants. In the course of extensive travelling in the district he had seen no opium this year, and thought that there had been very little attempt made to grow it.
Mr. Dickie, of the China Inland Mission at Kinwha, whom I met here, gave me
a similar account as to the state of affairs around that district.
The time at my disposal did not now permit of my visiting the west of the province, excepting by following main roads, which would have been useless for my purpose. I therefore decided to return through the centre of the province. The party then went by main road from Ch'u Chou to Chin Yun and by a circuitous route from there through part of the Yung Kang district to Tung Yang and Chu Chi, which was reached on the 5th May. At Chu Chi an English missionary told me that in the course of numerous journeys through the Pukiang, Yi Wu and Chu Chi districts he had seen no opium growing this year.
At Chu Chi the effective part of the inspection tour ended, and boats were taken to Hangchow, which was reached on the 6th May.
The effective part of the journeys above outlined covered the following distances approximately:-
-
Hsiang Shan via Taichow to Wenchow (land) Heiang Shan crossing San Men Bay
Wenchow to Jui An via islands
Tui An to Ch'u Chou
Ch'u Chou to Chu Chi
Tutsl
Li.
Miles.
580
199
180
60
240
A0
730
444
455
152
—.
2,185 728
In the course of this journey, which included a week's travelling in probably the most secluded part of the province the mountainous Ping Yang-Taishun-Ching Ning region. I saw no poppy growing whatever. The journey covered some 700 miles, and took twenty-five days. Bypaths and unfrequented routes were consis- tently followed as far as possible, and a very large portion of the journey was along them. Excellent and extensive views of secluded cultivation on the tops of the hills were frequently obtained from the mountain passes.
Poppy used formerly to be cultivated to a greater or lesser extent along the whole route, more especially in the Taichow and Wenchow districts.
During the earlier months of the year references appeared from time to time in the native papers at Hangchow to discoveries by the authorities in various districts of poppy cultivation; these were usually represented to be on a very small scale-in most cases only a few plants being grown. In some cases I obtained partial confirma- tion of these newspaper reports when passing through the localities concerned. I also heard of other instances, as at Ch'u Chou, where two men had been shot three weeks before my arrival. It therefore appears that some attempt has been made in various parts of the province to grow opium this season, but probably on a very small scale in most instances. The most determined attempt was probably made in Ping Yang. where with considerable difficulty I succeeded in buying a fresh plant, but this was all the material evidence of growth which I was able to obtain during the whole trip. No doubt some attempts to grow have escaped detection-one or two officials admitted this as a probability. Officials appear, however, to have been so strict in
37
the matter that these instances can be comparatively few, and what poppy may still be standing must in the aggregate be but very little.
It seems to me that, along the route taken by the inspection party, cultivation of poppy has ceased this season in all places where it used to be carried on ordinarily in former times, both on and off main roads. Any that may exist could only be found by detective methods, is very little and in most secluded places. Information received from missionaries, to which reference is made above, in regard to districts whicn were not visited would seem to confirm this conclusion.
Smoking, Export and Import.
Any dealing with the drug is a criminal offence, and whatever smoking, export or import may go on, is necessarily done in secret. In the course of a hurried visit to a place it is therefore almost impossible to obtain any reliable information on the subject.
Smoking-Throughout the journey neither my servants nor I saw anyone
smoking.
At Taichow Dr. Babington thought that there were still a certain number of smokers chiefly inveterates confined to the richer classes, Some people take pills in order to break off smoking, but this was merely an exchange of the habit of smoking for that of eating the drug. Occasionally a patient would come to the mission hospital for some disease, in the treatment of which the doctors would discover the above. Such cases were very rare now, however.
At Ping Yang, Père Boisard thought there was a reduced but still considerable number of smokers, among rich and poor alike. The high price of the drug was, however, beginning to affect the latter."
At Chu Chou Mr. Rohn considered that a certain number of people still smoked. Occasionally a man would come to the mission to be cured of the habit. He thought that a number of people, in trying to give up smoking, had taken to eating the ding in the form of so-called "anti-opium pills.
I did not succeed in buying the drug anywhere, but have little doubt that it can be purchased in the larger places only, however, by people whom the seller knows. Strangers can never get it.
Present smokers supply
Export. I doubt if there is any export of opium. themselves from stores of previous years. These are required for local consumption and are too valuable to be sent away.
Import. Some opium may be no doubt is--smuggled in, but I do not think
that it can be on any large scale, owing to the strictness of the officials.
Père Boisard thought that a little was brought into Ping Yang secretly across the mountains from Fukien. This was the only instance of information regarding import which I was able to obtain.
Activity of Officials.
In all cases, as far as I could hear, the officials have been, and are, extremely strict and severe.
The methods adopted are, to the foreign mind, harsh and unjust, and in no small number of cases men have been shot for growing no more than a few plants. In other cases ruinous fines have been imposed, and in one or two instances (as mentioned above regarding Ping Yang) houses, if not villages, have been burnt down. It is scarcely to be doubted that many officials, uncertain as to how long they may hold office under the present Government, are extremely active and severe, as the movement for suppression affords them a good opportunity of feathering their own nests.
Sir,
Enclosure 3 in No. 17.
Sir J. Jordan to Wai-chiao Pu.
Peking, May 25, 1914
I HAVE the honour to inform you that I have received a report from Mr. Consul J. L. Smith on the tour of investigation for opium poppy cultivation recently made in Chekiang province under the terms of the 1911 Opium Agreement.
Mr. Smith reports that no cultivation was found by the investigating party, and
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