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thorough arrangements for my comfort at each of our halting-places throughout the Mienning district.
The
For several days in succession I had seen nothing whatever of the Tengyueh Taoyin; at Chepi, however, much to my surprise, he rode over to call on me. reason for the visit was only apparent when he propounded the astonishing request that as during seventeen days travel in his circuit we had only found one field of opium poppy, I would overlook it in my report to His Majesty's Chargé d'Affaires. On my replying that, had we found one hundred I should be bound to report one hundred, and that I must equally report the one, he then suggested that I should add a rider that the field found was close to the scene of military operations against the offending Kachins. To this I rejoined that I had been over the country in question and he had not, and that I knew for a fact that the two places were at least two and a half days journey apart. Soon afterwards he took his leave, considerably
crestfallen.
April 14th Shortly after leaving Chêpi the road to Mienning makes a very steep ascent of some 3,000 feet, on to a lofty shoulder, the view from which on a clear day must be magnificent, embracing extensive country in the jurisdiction of Shunning and Kengma, in the Tengyueh circuit, and Mieuning in the Puerh circuit. On an open bit of grass land just beyond a pillar marking the boundary, a large booth had been erected, and we were met by the P'uêrh Taoyin and the Mienning district magistrate, each of whom furnished a guard of honour.
The following day we reached the ancient walled city of Mienning, inhabited by a mixed population of Chinese and Shans, while Lolos and natives of several other tribes inhabit the surrounding villages.
For the journey from Mienning to Szemao my first care was to ascertain the route followed by the Taoyin to the rendezvous; he had come, as I expected, by the most direct road through Chingku-hsien (the modern name of Weiyuant'ing of Manchu times). I asked the Taoyin point-blank whether he had seen any opium cultivation on his outward journey; he replied that a few isolated patches had been sown at the beginning of the season, but that all had been uprooted by expeditions sent out in November and December, and there was no trace of any remaining when he came out. I see no reason whatever to doubt this statement, but even if it was untrue, it was practically certain that there would not be a single plant left after his passing through; I therefore decided to take an entirely different road for our joint journey and selected the southern route via Poshang, the Tapêng ferry over the Mekong, Mêngka and Mengchu. This is a fairly well recognised, though little used, road, but I possess records of only isolated portions as having been previously traversed by British subjects.
On the 19th April, at the Taoyin's suggestion, we made a very early start in view of the formidable journey in front of us. reached the limits of the Mienning jurisdiction and bade farewell to the magistrate. After 6 miles of easy going, we No trace of opium poppy had we seen in his district, in which, as far as I could ascertain, he and his subordinates had carried out their suppression duties with exceptional thoroughness. The next 7 miles traversed a corner of what is now known as the Lants ang (t.e., Mekong) district-formerly the sub-prefecture of Chênpien-and the going was very severe, though it must, in all fairness, be admitted that the country is extremely difficult, including a terrific descent for 3 miles through constantly subsiding red clay to the level of the River Mekong (2,750 feet). crossing of the Mekong is effected in a single huge wooden boat with deep sides: The mules and their loads are transported in this craft, the river-current being too swift to admit of the animals swimming across without danger. The ascent up the left or east bank of the Mekong is even more severe, and for 24 miles the ruling gradient is steeper than one in six.
Two stages further, through pine-woods tenanted by peacocks and brilliant emerald-green parrots, brought us to the Chinese Shan town of Mêngka. At Tamotsoho, the half-way balt, we came across a few families of Lahu race, said to be rapidly dying out in China.
Shortly before reaching Mêngka we were met by the Chingku district magistrate, a Kuangsi man, who accompanied us so long as we continued in bis extensive jurisdiction. Mengka, the residence of a Shan Sawbwa, possesses also large temples and two monasteries in the Burmese Shan style; one in particular, over 200 years old, must have been very fine in bygone days.
At Lientsungts'un, our halt mid-way between Mêngka and Mêngchu, the Chinese Shan Sawbwa, of the latter place, and Mêngpan came over to pay his respects.
Mêngchu is one of the old Shan towns whence the original inhabitants have been practically ousted by the more thriving Chinese.
On the 25th April, two days after leaving Mêngchu, we crossed the River Weiyuan for Chingku, as it is now gradually becoming known) at Patieh. Two days later, after passing a few villages inhabited by natives of the strikingly handsome l'uman race, we entered the Szémao district and were met by the local magistrate; the following day, the 28th April, we arrived at Szemao, where spacious quarters were provided for me adjoining the Taoyin's yamên, The Taoyin and magistrate pressed me to stay a week in Szemao; I consented to two days, but on the second day the Taoyin urged that be still had important business to transact, and I could hardly refuse his request that we should postpone our departure for one more day.
Previous to my departure for Tengyuch, I had written to a reliable corre- spondent, soliciting his co-operation to obtain for me, if possible, information on the subject of opium in the area under his cognisance. With that request he very courteously complied; he informed me quite definitely that, as the result of several punitive expeditions during the past winter, there was, as far as he was aware, no more cultivation of opium in the Szemao district, and that while probably at least 30 per cent. of the adult population of the town, both male and female, still continued to consume the drug, the enormous rise in price bore out his contention.
From Szemao northwards towards Tali three routes were open to me that viâ Chingku (Weiyuan) was ruled out by the fact that it had already been traversed by the Taoyin on his journey to Mienning to meet me; on the north-eastern route, via T'alang-the main road to Yunnan-fu-according to all the information I could obtain, a considerable quantity of opium had been grown, and harvested, earlier in the season, but very thorough measures of eradication had been carried out some weeks previously; I therefore decided to take the more direct but less frequented route via Puêrh, Hsinfu (in Chênyuan district) and Chingtung.
Leaving Szemac on the 2nd May, some three hours of travel, including a stiff climb, brought us to the boundary of the P'uêrh district, where the local magistrate awaited us the Szemao magistrate. however, continued to accompany us till the town of Puerh was reached the next day; on this day's journey our route crossed a splendid Chinese arched stone bridge, in admirable preservation.
At Mohei, the next stage, I took the opportunity to pay a visit to the large and flourishing salt-mines about a mile and a half away. Dr. Kelly, the American representative of the Chinese Salt Administration, who had arrived about two months previously, was away on tour, but his English-speaking Chinese colleague very kindly demonstrated to me all the processes of Chinese salt extraction.
The next four stages, viâ Mop'o, Manpieh and Manlien, to Hsin-fu, call for little comment save for the extreme beauty of the scenery on all sides rose range after range of pine-clad hills, mostly well-wooded to their summits; the valleys were, however, parched and bare, and travelling along the lower levels was excessively hot. The only record in my possession of a route between Hsinfu and Chingtung dated from 1881, when the journey was made by a British traveller; our route, however, was almost entirely different from his, and we spent but five days on the distance which had taken him six. For the last three days we were accompanied by the Chingtung magistrate, who came out to meet us.
This latter official was also among the number of those who have displayed special energies in the matter of opium suppression; practically every town and hamlet which we traversed in his district boasted its own small bureau for the furtherance of the task, while the magistrate's extensive tours of inspection included a journey to the summit of Wu-Liang-Shan, between 11,000 and 12,000 feet high.
Leaving Chingtung on the 15th May, three days' journey brought us to the boundary between the Puerh and Tengvueh circuits, at Shukai (locally pronounced Ch'ukai); Here we found that the Tengyueh Taovin and the Mênghua district magistrate had been awaiting our arrival for three days. Before bidding farewell to the Puêrh Taovin, I gave him a letter detailing our route through bis circuit and congratulating him on the fact that we had discovered not a single opium poppy in a month's journey. In the course of an interesting conversation, he freely admitted that the task of suppression had been considerably easier in his circuit than elsewhere in the province; he was no less frank regarding the prevalence of opium smoking, and expressed the opinion that from three to five years must elapse before this would be stopped.
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