The city of Anlu itself is very ancient, and its stone walls encircle the first of the range of foothills, making a most picturesque setting, with its foreground of pink and white blossoms where the fruit trees are just peeping forth to greet the spring. On the city entrances, and on the gable ends of some of the houses are to be seen the curious circles of whitewash or paint, which the people use to indicate the eyes of guardian spirits who will frighten away wolves and other dangerous animals, a custom which I have seen in Mongolia, buf never so far south as this.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.