10
below To To) was Mao Chao on the right bank, the seat of a petty Chinese Chief, but that the Mao Chao people who have to cross the range must descend along the river and start from Teng Keng. But one day's march up the river north of Mao Chao is Cheng Kan; here there is said to be a very difficult track used only by Lisaw coolies carrying salt over the range into the Kachin country of Pai Pa (a name which I cannot identify, but it is probably near the headwaters of the Laking Kha, tributary of N'maikha).
As to the Salwen Valley beyond Cheng Kan (which should be in about north latitude 26° 40′)I could get no definite information save that it was inhabited by wild and famished "black Lisaws," who looted travellers and were under no sort of control by anybody. None of the local Chinese had ever attempted to go so far, and in fact it was a country beyond the perception of the popular consciousness.
On the left bank of the Salwen, in the far distance, we saw some very lofty mountains which were covered with what appeared to be perpetual snow.
We descended from To To to the Salwen, passing along the side of a spur which bangs over a small stream along the banks of which is the path leading from the Salwen to the Pien Ma Pass. The bed of the great river where we struck it in latitude 25° 50′ north is at an altitude of 3,000 feet. The water had already lost its rich winter blue, and was a dirty grey, discoloured probably by melting snows. The summer rains turn the water to a muddy yellow.
From the village of Ch'a Shan, on the river bank, we marched for two days along the right bank of the Salwen. The weather had cleared at last, and the Lisaw porters suffered severely from the heat. The road along the right bank is perfectly good for mule traffic, but the population is apparently scanty, being hidden in villages situated in the folds of the hills higher up. At 2 miles from Ch'a Shan we stopped for a mid-day halt at Teng Keng, a Chinese village of twelve houses with a tumble-down yamên, the residence of the local Chief, a Chinaman of the Tuan family, which has five branches; the head of each branch respectively rules the scanty territories of Chiu Chou, on the Mekong; Lu K'u, Mao Chao, and Teng Keng, on the Salwen; and Lao Wo in the hills between the two rivers. The territory of Teng Keng is said to contain 1,000 families, though I am bound to say that I take this to be an exaggeration. The present Headman is a boy of about 14, the sixth of his line. His affairs are managed—or, rather, mismanaged by his relatives. Mao Chao is said to have only 300 families, while Lu K'u is stated to be twice as extensive as Teng Keng. The Chief of Lu K'u lives in a fairly well-built village, 5 miles below Teng Keng, but on the opposite or left bank. There is a ferry here served by a boat. Marching past the Lu Ku ferry we camped that evening at the village of Lai Mo subject to the ordinary jurisdiction of the Yung Chang official, and situated in a horseshoe-shaped padi valley by the river bank. On the 22nd we reached Wan Chiao, situated in a similar valley, after passing only two small villages in the day's march. On the 23rd we followed two sharp bends of the river and emerged on to the valley of Man Yin, where there is a small and dirty but important bazaar. There is no market anywhere in the Salwen valley north of this.
The left bank of the Salwen, between Teng Keng and Man Yin is very thinly populated, as lofty and precipitous cliffs descend nearly straight to the water's edge.
The part of the Salwen valley through which we passed is known as Shang Chiang (upper river). On the Burmah map attached to the N'maikha Exploration Column's Report this is written "Sanjang," and by error is marked as being in the Shweli Valley. From Man Yin we again passed the main divide by the tedious but well-trodden Ma Mien Kwan (10,500 feet), which is daily traversed by salt porters. The weather had by this time cleared, and snow only remained in small patches. Descending into the Shweli Valley we were glad, after a tiring excursion of six days to rejoin the camp which had come down from Ta Chu Pa to meet us at the west foot of the Ma Mien, which is only two long marches by the direct route from Teng Yueh.
On the 25th March we moved north to explore the Ta Tang valley, across the head of which we had passed while ascending the west slope of the Salwen divide. The Ta Tang Valley comprises little or no level plain land, but is broken up by spurs and foot-hills jutting out from the Salwen divide. The country is well-wooded and fertile, copses and pastures affording a pleasant variety to the padi fields. Numerous streams descending from the divide give perennial supplies of water, and the peasants are numerous and well-to-do. Indeed, the idea that the part of Teng Yuch which is close to our frontier is sparsely populated must be abandoned. The only valley suitable for Chinese cultivation which is still uncultivated by them is the head of the Upper Ming Kwang and Ta Chu Pa valley, and even there a few families of Chinese squatters have already begun to put in an appearance. I should think it extremely probable that in a few years' time the Chinese peasant will spread across the divide into the upper slopes of the M'maikha basin.
The Headmen of Ta Tang are two brothers of the Liu clan. Though the whole of the valley from Shan Yao tax station, at the foot of the Ma Mien, northwards, is known as Ta Tang, the Ta Tang Headmen only control the upper head of the valley, or about 350 households, the other villages being under the ordinary jurisdiction of Teng Yueh. The Headmen reside at two villages of twenty houses each situated close to each other at 12 miles from Shan Yao; they are rather less out-at-elbows than the Headmen of the other valleys.
In the afternoon of the 26th March we forded the Ta Tang River, and camped at the end of a romantic gorge along which we marched the next day in a northerly direction. In two places the track was blocked by rocks, and loads had to be unsaddled; otherwise the going is easy. At 7 miles from Ta Tang, and after an easy ascent to 7,500 feet, we reached a col and passed again into the Ming Kwang valley. Descending through thick bamboo jungle, at 9 miles we struck the Ming Kwang stream at the Lisaw village of Shé Li Shu, and from this point returned to Teng Yueh by the Ming Kwang valley and Ku Tung market.
II. Claims of Chinese Headmen in the N'maikha Basin and observations thereon.
I did not think it advisable to discuss with the Teng Yueh officials or with the local Headmen the nature and extent of their claims in the N'maikha basin, nor did I think it prudent myself to pass over into that basin. I do not wish to indicate that I should have run any great personal risk by so doing; indeed, the coffin-wood people were most anxious that I should go with them to the Ngar Chang; probably they wanted the protection of a foreign rifle. Further, I had no escort of Chinese soldiers with me, as they would, with their customary insolence, infallibly have got to loggerheads with the Lisaw Headmen, to whom I trusted for guides and for my personal safety, but as I was by way of travelling in China and under Chinese auspices, I thought that any extension of my journey towards the M'maikha might open the door to future misunderstandings.
I collected, however, a good deal of information regarding these claims from Chinese and Lisaws who are constantly going over the watershed; the particulars given me by different people in different places agreed so well that I venture to think that I can now submit an accurate account of what these claims really are. If in future the Yunnan Government puts forward more extensive demands, we may, I think, safely put down such as fraudulent afterthoughts.
I would, in the first place, observe---
1. That the statement made in London by the late Sir Lo Feng Lu, to the effect that it is well known that in this region the frontier of China is the Irrawadi (i.e., N'maikha branch) is wholly without foundation. On the contrary, it is well known, and was asserted to me, both by the Tso family and by all the local people, that the lower slopes of the hills on the left bank of the N'maikha-"Langsu," as they usually call it, "where money is not known "-are wild man's land, and under no control whatever by anybody.
2. It is to be noted that there is no a priori reason why Chinese influence should not in the past have reached beyond the head-waters of the Shweli into the N'maikha basin. Of course, the watershed is, from the geographical point of view, quite unmistakable, but communication over it is not by any means so difficult as to prevent intercourse. Indeed, it must always have been much easier for people starting from an upland valley like Ming Kwang, at 6,000-7,000 feet, to get across these easy passes to the country about the upper waters of the left-bank tributaries of the N'maikha than for people ascending through difficult mountain tracks from the low level of the N'maikha itself.
3. There are at present no villages within some 6 miles of either side of the watershed, and there are no regular settlements or villages of Chinese on the N'maikha side at all. On the other hand, the Ming Kwang people have long been in the habit of crossing over on trading expeditions. Though their notions of geography are hazy, they know the names of the villages, the distance from village to village, and similar details with some approach to accuracy,
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below To To) was Mao Chao on the right bank, the seat of a petty Chinese Chief, but that the Mao Chao people who have to cross the range must descend along the river and start from Teng Keng. But one day's march up the river north of Mao Chao is Cheng Kan; here there is said to be a very difficult track used only by Lisaw coolies carrying salt over the range into the Kachin country of Pai Pa (a name which I cannot identify, but it is probably near the headwaters of the Laking Kha, tributary of N'maikha).
As to the Salwen Valley beyond Cheng Kan (which should be in about north latitude 26° 40′)I could get no definite information save that it was inhabited by wild and famished "black Lisaws," who looted travellers and were under no sort of control by anybody. None of the local Chinese had ever attempted to go so far, and in fact it was a country beyond the perception of the popular consciousness.
On the left bank of the Salwen, in the far distance, we saw some very lofty mountains which were covered with what appeared to be perpetual snow.
We descended from To To to the Salwen, passing along the side of a spur which bangs over a small stream along the banks of which is the path leading from the Salwen to the Pien Ma Pass. The bed of the great river where we struck it in latitude 25° 50′ north is at an altitude of 3,000 feet. The water had already lost its rich winter blue, and was a dirty grey, discoloured probably by melting snows. The summer rains turn the water to a muddy yellow.
From the village of Ch'a Shan, on the river bank, we marched for two days along the right bank of the Salwen. The weather had cleared at last, and the Lisaw porters suffered severely from the heat. The road along the right bank is perfectly good for mule traffic, but the population is apparently scanty, being hidden in villages situated in the folds of the hills higher up. At 2 miles from Ch'a Shan we stopped for a mid-day halt at Teng Keng, a Chinese village of twelve houses with a tumble-down yamên, the residence of the local Chief, a Chinaman of the Tuan family, which has five branches; the head of each branch respectively rules the scanty territories of Chiu Chou, on the Mekong; Lu K'u, Mao Chao, and Teng Keng, on the Salwen; and Lao Wo in the hills between the two rivers. The territory of Teng Keng is said to contain 1,000 families, though I am bound to say that I take this to be an exaggera- tion. The present Headman is a boy of about 14, the sixth of his line. His affairs are managed—or, rather, mismanaged by his relatives. Mao Chao is said to have only 300 families, while Lu K'u is stated to be twice as extensive as Teng Keng. The Chief of Lu K'a lives in a fairly well built village, 5 miles below Teng Keng, but on the opposite or left bank. There is a ferry here served by a boat. Marching past the Lu Ku ferry we camped that evening at the village of Lai Mo subject to the ordinary jurisdiction of the Yung Chang official, and situated in a horseshoe-shaped padi valley by the river bank. On the 22nd we reached Wan Chiao, situated in a similar valley, after passing only two small villages in the day's march. On the 23rd we followed two sharp bends of the river and emerged on to the valley of Man Yin, where there is a small and dirty but important bazaar. There is no market any- where in the Salwen valley north of this.
The left bank of the Salwen, between Teng Keng and Man, Yin is very thinly populated, as lofty and precipitous cliffs descend nearly straight to the water's edge.
The part of the Salwen valley through which we passed is known as Shang Chiang (upper river). On the Burmah map attached to the N'maikha Exploration Column's Report this is written "Sanjang," and by error is marked as being in the Shweli Valley. From Man Yin we again passed the main divide by the tedious but well-trodden Ma Mien Kwan (10,500 feet), which is daily traversed by salt porters. The weather had by this time cleared, and snow only remained in small patches. Descending into the Shweli Valley we were glad, after a tiring excursion of six days to rejoin the camp which had come down from Ta Chu Pa to meet us at the west foot of the Ma Mien, which is only two long marches by the direct route from Teng Yueh.
Ou the 25th March we moved north to explore the Ta Tang valley, across the bead of which we had passed while ascending the west slope of the Salwen divide. The Ta Tang Valley comprises little or no level plain land, but is broken up by spurs and foot-hills jutting out from the Salwen divide. The country is well wooded and fertile, copses and pastures affording a pleasant variety to the padi fields. Numerous streams descending from the divide give perennial supplies of water, and the peasants are numerous and well-to-do. Indeed, the idea that the part of Teng Yuch which is close to our frontier is sparsely populated must be abandoned. The only valley suitable for Chinese cultivation which is still uncultivated by them is the head of the Upper Ming Kwang and Ta Chu Pa valley, and even there a few families of Chinese
11
squatters have already begun to put in an appearance. I should think it extremely probable that in a few years' time the Chinese peasant will spread across the divide into the upper slopes of the M'maikha basin.
The Headmen of Ta Tang are two brothers of the Liu clan. Though the whole of the valley from Shan Yao tax station, at the foot of the Ma Mien, northwards, is known as Ta Tang, the Ta Tang Headmen only control the upper head of the valley, or about 350 households, the other villages being under the ordinary jurisdiction of Teng Yueh. The Headmen reside at two villages of twenty houses each situated close to each other at 12 miles from Shan Yao; they are rather less out-at-elbows than the Headmen of the other valleys.
In the afternoon of the 26th March we forded the Ta Tang River, and camped at the end of a romantic gorge along which we marched the next day in a northerly direction. In two places the track was blocked by rocks, and loads had to be unsaddled; otherwise the going is easy. At 7 miles from Ta Tang, and after an easy ascent to 7,500 feet, we reached a col and passed again into the Ming Kwang valley. Descending through thick bamboo jungle, at 9 miles we struck the Ming Kwang stream at the Lisaw village of Shé Li Shu, and from this point returned to Teng Yueh by the Ming Kwang valley and Ku Tung market.
II. Claims of Chinese Headmen in the N'maikha Basin and observations thereon.
I DID not think it advisable to discuss with the Teng Yueh officials or with the local Headmen the nature and extent of their claims in the N'maikha basin, nor did I think it prudent myself to pass over into that basin. I do not wish to indicate that I should have run any great personal risk by so doing; indeed, the coffin-wood people were most anxious that I should go with them to the Ngar Chang; probably they wanted the protection of a foreign rifle. Further, I had no escort of Chinese soldiers with me, as they would, with their customary insolence, infallibly have got to loggerheads with the Lisaw Headmen, to whom I trusted for guides and for my personal safety, but as I was by way of travelling in China and under Chinese auspices, I thought that any extension of my journey towards the M'maikha might open the door to future misunderstandings.
I collected, however, a good deal of information regarding these claims from Chinese and Lisaws who are constantly going over the watershed; the particulars given me by different people in different places agreed so well that I venture to think that I can now submit an accurate account of what these claims really are. If in future the Yunnan Government puts forward more extensive demands, we may, I think, safely put down such as fraudulent afterthoughts.
I would, in the first place, observe---
1. That the statement made in London by the late Sir Lo Feng Lu, to the effect that it is well known that in this region the frontier of China is the Irrawadi (ie., N'maikha branch) is wholly without foundation. On the contrary, it is well known, and was asserted to me, both by the Tso family and by all the local people, that the lower slopes of the hills on the left bank of the N'maikha-"Langsu," as they usually call it, "where money is not known "-are wild man's land, and under no control whatever by anybody.
2. It is to be noted that there is no a priori reason why Chinese influence should not in the past have reached beyond the head-waters of the Shweli into the N'maikha basin. Of course, the watershed is, from the geographical point of view, quite unmistakable, but communication over it is not by any means so difficult as to prevent intercourse. Indeed, it must always have been much easier for people starting from an upland valley like Ming Kwang, at 6,000-7,000 feet, to get across these easy passes to the country about the upper waters of the left-bank tributaries of the N'maikha than for people ascending through difficult mountain tracks from the low level of the N'maikha itself.
3. There are at present no villages within some 6 miles of either side of the watershed, and there are no regular settlements or villages of Chinese on the N'maikha side at all. On the other hand, the Ming Kwang people have long been in the habit of crossing over on trading expeditions. Though their notions of geography are hazy, they know the names of the villages, the distance from village to village, and similar details with some approach to accuracy,
[1980 a-1]
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370
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