The Mohammedan east suburb, in recent years, has grown by leaps and bounds, and the trend of trade has been influenced by it so that the centre of business has moved gradually from the central dis trict to the East Gate. A great deal of trade has even left the city entirely and is now prospering in the suburb. Many enterprises, such as the river raft business and timber business, are almost entirely in Moslem hands. The food-shop business is mainly theirs. The butchers, bakers and candlestick-makers, ete., are mostly all followers of the Prophet. The Jew in their ancestry is in evidence everywhere. has been sought Chinese shops. in vain in the A typical illustration to show the contrast between the Chinese and Moslem is this—about 607i from the city, on a well-travelled road, is an old Rip Van Winkle who has kept an inn as far back as he can remember. Should you be absolutely unable to find another lodging and use much detective skill, you might possibly find his inn. Not far from his place a Mohammedan opened an inn. By the first week every passer-by knew he was running a first class place. Guests were hailed in the road. K'angs would be swept and water would be boiling. Should the guest want eggs, milk, meat, ete., some fellow Moslem would soon appear with the articles. To an onlooker, a Moslem with a tray full of watermelon seeds makes as much noise about it as aman with a $1,000 business.
In the last two years Moslems have been found living and owning property within the Sining city walls. This is something that had not been allowed since the days of the Emperor T'ong Chi. Now Moslems are found in many quarters of the city. Following the re bellion in 1895, there was a re-locat tion of whole districts of Chinese and Moslems, in order to make separate communities of each. Now a strange thing has happened. In western villages, very rarely has a Chinese gained a land hold, but in almost*every Chinese district the Moslems have gained new footholds and in some instance have a thrive ing Moslem community.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.