CO129-235 - Public Offices - 1887 — Page 409

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with an elevated broken plateau having an average height of about 5,000 feet, and no communication by water with the plains that encompass it on the north, south, and east, and that this plateau breaks away precipitately to the valleys of the Yang-tzu on the north, and the Irrawaddy, Mekong, and Red River on the west and south, and somewhat more easily to the valley of the Canton West River and to the plains of Kwang-si and Hunan on the south and east. It should farther be noted that this elevated district, which projects for 10° of longitude between Indo-China and the Yang-tzu, has no level surface whatever except an occasional lake basin, and that on the west and south-west its rivers and streams have eaten out deep broad ravines that are often impassable and always difficult and dangerous, both from their steepness and from the poisoned air which they harbour. (See next Part-Yuan-chiang Chou-and Baber's account of the Salween, R. G. S. Supplementary Papers, p. 177.)

To return to Yünnan Fu, it will now appear clearly that this city is at the end of each of these routes, and occupies a central position admirable as a seat of Government, supplied as it is with abundant food from the drained part of the ancient lake. If there were water communication, or even fair roads across the plateau, there would doubtless be a great entrepôt at Yunnan Fu, but an inspection of the altitudes observed on this journey and by Mr. Baber must make an exchange of products across this district a priori very unlikely. Actually, I found that the different sides of this plateau are supplied from the nearest lowland. Thus, to take two examples, cotton and tobacco, both absolute necessitics to Chinese existence, which the plateau does not produce: cotton is supplied to North Yünnan from Ssü-ch'uan, to West Yünnan as far east as Yünnan Fu from Burmah, to South-west Yünnan as far east as Mêng-tzu Hsien from the Shan States and Siam, to South-east Yünnan from Canton, and to Kuei-chou from Hankow by the Yuan River. Tobacco is supplied to the north of the province from Ssu-ch'uan and to the south from Canton. Salt, another necessary, of which the plateau does not afford a sufficient supply, enters the province from Ssu-ch'uan, Burmah, Tonquin (before the new Treaty), and the Kwang-si Province.

But there are adventitious circumstances which make Yünnan Fu more important as a trade centre than it deserves, or is likely to remain. The whole of the tea consumed in the province and a large share of the better quality of tea consumed in Ssu-ch'uan, together with a small quantity sent to Thibet, come from the Shan States outside Ssă-mao, and of this trade Yünnan Fu is the depôt. Excepting small quantities consumed locally and a few caravans that go direct to Western Yunnan and Thibet by the Ching- tung Valley, the whole out-turn of this tea-Pu-erh tea as it is called- goes to Yünnan Fu; this tea may be valued at about 50,000. per annum. A great part goes to Western Yunnan, for the supply of which we may expect our Assam planters to provide in the future.

Again, the exhaustion caused by 20 years of indiscriminate slaughter and pillage, involving the destruction of the old industries of the province-mining, silk rearing, and manufacture, &c.—with which increased demand for opium in Ssú-ch'uan and the eastern provinces happened to coincide, led to the adoption of poppy cultivation as the great industry of the plateau. Yunnan and Kuei-chou now pay for the whole of their foreign imports in opium, the merchants of Nanning Fu and Hougkong having often to wait for their money until the Canton and Kwang-si Provinces have paid for the Yunnan and Kuei-chou opiuin crop. Yunnan Fu is a depôt of the opium trade of Eastern Yünnan and of the foreign and Canton goods that are received in exchange.

Exports from Yünnan Fu are opium, Pu-erh tea, drugs, and copper, and the imports are cotton, tobacco, and foreign goods.

The first thing to notice about foreign imports is that the description of piece-goods, much the most important item, differs greatly from that in vogue on the Yang-tzu, so that The reason for this my samples from Chungking did not represent the qualities for sale.

is that, there being water communication to Chungking, a heavier description of goods is sent than to Yunnan, where pack aniraals and porters are the only means of carriage, so that every additional pound of weight per piece forms a serious addition to cost of transit. Prices for my samples would therefore have been delusive, but the conclusion seemed to be that prices were rather higher, and that for goods of lighter texture and inferior quality than at Ch'ungking. Foreign goods, almost without exception, come from Hong Kong by way of Pakhoi or Ch'in-chou to Nanning Fu, thence by boat to Po-sê T'ing and Po-ngai, and thence by caravan through Kwang-nan Fu. Suggestions as to improvements were, that aniline dyes should regain their former excellence; that long ells should be stouter, some- what absurd considering that the same merchant had explained why they were so flimsy; and that piece-goods should be dyed a light blue, which was all the fashion, instead of the habitual indigo.

ROUTE SKETCH

TO ILLUSTRATE REPORT BY

F. S.A. BOURNE.

II.

PI-CHIEH HSIEN

ΟΙ

YUN NAN-FU.

Kan-show-p

PI-CHIEH KSIEN

4950

Piny shan pay

Lane Cha-hoing R.{not nav.) 9180 -

WEI-NING CHOU

Chin-to

apr 5 Lion san p'u

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6430

3853

Ko tu B. (not nav.) 5220 ( Boundary boomer

Gure man, and Kaa-chou.

T'ang tang sirot nav, į 5830

HSUAN WEI CHOU

6650

Pan ch tao

6530

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+6740

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+6350

6370

YUN-NAN FU -

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MA LUNG CHOU____

12:30

69306830

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(12 -8/97, 1331/8.0 486

English Miles

10 5 0

Sema að saga Jumam

Harrison & Sons, Lith. S' Martien Lana.W.C

3.

Altitudes in English Feet.

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406