Travellers have all expressed their delight in the rugged beauty of the scenery around Sining. It has a beauty all its own. The city itself is charmingly situated in the centre of four well watered valleys, running in the path of the four points of the compass to distances of 10, 2, and 26 miles, when they narrow into passes bound in by the mountains and leap out into other fruitful valleys beyond. High mountains wedge the district in on all sides, and over these mountain passes we get glimpses of the great beyond, the towering mountains of that enchanting country Tibet, which seem to beckon us on to find out all the mysteries that lie hidden away in these wierd dark valleys and to give us glimpse into those lonely Lamaseries hidden away among the forest trees in the mountain recesses where the ghost-like figures of and silently through the corridors. these hermit priests move slowly An Avromn Prcrure.
It was a bright morning in October last when we mounted our steeds, passed out of the west gate of the city, turned to the left, and followed the road up the south valley which runs parallel with the river. The river, which grows wider year by year, covers a vast amount of ground which could be redeemed by narrowing its course by means of dykes. The farmers were all busy gathering in the sheaves to the threshing floor. Caravans of mules were bringing wool from Kueiteh. Here and there Tibetan pilgrims were slowly wending their way to the great Lamasery of Kumbum. In every village and on every hill near were stone cairns or mud towers erected to protect the farmers from thunderstorms. Buried under these cairns and mud towers there are basins of grain, oats and cart-wheels, put there by the orders of the Taoist priest who was called in by the villagers to divine the best means of appeasing the Thunder God.
Our first stage landed us at the little village of Shangsinchuang (peopled by Chinese and Tibetans). Near by, right in the centre of the valley is a huge mound. Its origin—Many years ago in the days of giants a man was carrying a basket of earth, but finding the high mountains standing in his way dumped it down on the spot where it now lies. The villagers had already begun to wear their sheepskin gowns for we were now 9,000 feet, having ascended 2,000 feet in 20 miles. This is the last village on this side of the mountain.
Tue Great Watt oF Cains.
About half-a-mile beyond, we come to the entrance of the pass. Once there stood a gateway, now in:
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.