30
2
On the 10th April I first met the metropolitan and provincial delegates, and we arranged to start for Hung Hua tao on the following morning at 8 o'clock.
Hung Hua tao is some 20 miles down river from Ichang, and makes a good point from which to go across country to Changyang.
On the 11th April, at 8-30, I left and, in spite of wind and rain, arrived at Hung Hua tao at 12:30.
This road passes through a fruitful country and, so far as I could see, the whole was under cultivation, but nowhere did I see any poppy. The road is but a mere mountain track, from which one gets, as it rises higher and higher, a splendid view of the country. I left the road several times, but nowhere did I see any signs of poppy.
From Changyang to Changlo the road still ran through or over the mountains. On every side the fields were filled with wheat, barley, peas, beans, potatoes, rape, all well forward in their growth, so that there was no place for poppy où an extensive scale.
From Changlo to Hofeng the road climbed up on to a plateau, whence one obtained a wonderful view of the cultivated valleys below, but it was all the same story, either large bare fields tilled ready for planting the spring maize or crops well forward, filled all the available space and left no room for poppy
Certain of those valleys were, however, too high for the cultivation of poppy, and, if I could have obtained any proper information on the subject, I would have taken another and lower route; but, on the whole, I think the numerous valleys which were sufficiently low for the cultivation of the poppy, and where, I am assured, three years ago it was the principal crop, were quite representative, and afforded good evidence of the vigorous action of the officials.
At Hofeng I encountered considerable difficulty in persuading the delegates and the Hofeng magistrate that my proposed route was not only possible, but was the only route I intended to follow. The terrors of bandits, ferocious animals, uninhabited regions, impassable roads, and no stopping places were all paraded in their most awful forme. When, however, they were satisfied that there was only one way out of it. preparations for the road I proposed were made. Extra coolies to carry the rations for our bearers and extra baggage coolies were engaged, natives of the districts we were about to cross were requisitioned to act as guides, and certain members of the party, I think, commended their souls to God, for they feared the unknown.
This district did not, it is true, possess anything to boast of in the way of roads. Mountain tracks, up and down which no one had ever considered the possibility of taking a chair, were our portion. If the truth be told, however, the roads from Changyang to Changlo and thence to Hofeng were all of the same type, and seemed to be designed with a view to dissuade anyone from over attempting the passage twice.
From Hofeng to Ching Chi k'ow on a tributary of the Ch'ing Chiang, we travelled in the jurisdiction of the Hofeng magistrate, but at Ching Chi kow on one side of the river the country recognised the Chien shih magistrate, and on the other the Patung magistrate.
Through this wild country of highly cultivated fields and large tea plantations we travelled for four days. Poppy, up to three years before, had been the principal crop, but now I was unable to discover any. Stopping at Niu Chia ssu, one day out from Hofeng, I met a Cantonese tea merchant who had come to this district for the last forty years. He reported that up to three years ago poppy was the chief crop, but that two years ago the amount cultivated had been largely reduced, and last He had only just arrived at Niu Chia ssu for the tea season, and year he had seen none. could consequently give me no information for the present year.
3
At Patung the investigation practically came to an end, for the poppy would never be planted on the slopes of the Great River, though, of course, on the way down I kept my eyes open for any signs of the poppy.
My journey finished late in the evening of the twentieth day. I was uncertain as to how long I would take coming down river from Patung. by leaving my house-boat and getting into a fast red boat I was enabled to arrive one I allowed two days, but day earlier.
During the twenty days of my journey I covered a comparatively small distance when counted by miles. The roads, however, were such that if I had been carried even half the way, I would have travelled a much shorter distance. There were a number of days when I walked practically the whole time, and even then the chair with six bearers was a long way behind. The delegates were in exactly the same position, though all being much lighter men, and using chairs with two bearers instead of four, they were enabled to keep up better.
As late as the middle of March of this year, when it was decided to inspect this province, vigorous action was taken by the officials to stamp out every vestige of poppy- Two men were executed in Changyang, and two men in Hofeng. At Changlo a man on whose ground two or three plants were found was sentenced to death, but at the last moment his sentence was moderated, and he was branded and led though the town and adjoining districts loaded with chains. As he was a man of good position this was considered sufficient, as the amount discovered was so small.
At Ichang, whilst I was away about the middle or April, a man was shot for having planted poppy at San tou p'in inland from the Yang-tsze some 30 miles above Ichang.
The districts through which I travelled were formerly those where considerable quentities of opium were produced. I saw no signs of poppy, and my route was taken without in any way giving the Chinese officials an opportunity of leading me along a prepared district. In fact, the views from the mountain tracks were so extended that the preparation of a route would have required a very considerable time. I am accordingly of the opinion that this province, taking the district through which I travelled as a sample, is free of poppy.
H. F. HANDLEY-DERRY.
Ichang, May 4, 1914.
An itinerary of my route, with the days, is as follows:
April 11. Jchang.
11
12.
11
Hong Hua tao (by boat) Changyang
Tu Chen wan
13. Chang Chia wan
Lang Tan ping
14. Hsueh Shan ho
Chiang Chun tung
Chang lo
11
h
15. Kuanya..
year
after
year
""
16. Ma chuang
33
17. Ai Pang họ
18.
Yen Tzu pring
71
19. Hofeug
31
20. Niu Chia ssu
11
21.
Shui kuo tung
+1
22. Wu Ya kuan
On certain parts of the road, when it rose high on the mountain slopes, we passed through lands which were only just being tilled, for there are large tracts of the country which have only one crop a year.
To Yeh San kuan from Ching Chi k'ow the road, runs similarly through lands where the crops were either well forward or were not yet planted. Nowhere could I detect any poppy, though it is possible that a few plants may have been scattered in the midst of large fields of peas or beans. The latter is the means by which farmers in certain districts cultivate small quantities of opium in the face of official opposition.
From Yeh San kuan to Yeh Hua p'ing the road passes still through similar fields to what have been already described. From Yeh Hua p'ing to Patung, where I took boat for Ichang, the road ran high on the hilltops, and one obtained a fine view of the cultivated valleys below. Nowhere did I see any signs of poppy, the land either being filled with peas, beans, rape, potatoes, or wheat, or lying empty waiting for the spring Bowing,
ן
" 23. Ching Chi kow
Ching Kuo pig
11
24.
Ma Shih ping
1
25. Tan Chia wan
1
26. Yeh San kuan
37
27. Yeh tua p'ing
28.
31
Chu Sha tu
93
29. Patong
11
30. Ichang
*:::::::
Miles.
20
ļ
20
20
5
5
10
5
5
20
20
17
15
15
10
15
5
10
14
14
17
20
20
16
60
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