Away down in central Kiangsi, sheltered by the Western Hills, lies} a great city, inaccessible, secure, and untouched by modern thought. A city with a population which equals that of San Francisco, and' whose territory spreads far out beyond the city gates and furnishes raw products for her many industries.
Every street and temple breathes of superstition and her whole history is told in legend. She has never been sacked in the memory of man and stands now almost unique in that. When the T'ai-pings came years ago to the wall of Nanchang, they saw sitting upon it, the figure of a huge man swt ing his feet in the moat. And he wag apparently selling sandals three feet in length to the beleaguered citizens. 'That was' enough for the attacking band. They turned and fled.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.