7 The Diary of an Enjoyable Week-end Househoat Holiday For several days before, the baron meter had been carefully scanned, and every change in atmospheric pressure commented upon. Two days before our departure, on the Thursday evening, the heavens darkened, and__torrents of rain fell for nearly 24 hours. This was looked upon as a most favourable sign, and the rain for once created quite a pleasant feeling, for would it not blow over before the week end, and thus afford clear skies, and sunny days for our trip?
Leaving Shanghai by the 7.15 p.m. train in a special car pr vided by one of the patty, a good dinner was followed by a comfortable night, but we were rudely awakened at Zan-kou at 5.30 a.m. to find ourselves receiving unwelcome attentions from various enthusiastic but misguided engine drivers, bent on shunting the car into a siding. But with an inaudible grumble, and a half steepy Jock at the time, most of us turned on our pillows and went to sleep again. led away, and the sun have burst through.
After nearly an hour and a half's sicaming at eight knots, we came to our first stopping place on the right bank. A straggling township stretched its dwellings for over a mile along the river bank, the whole length of the water front being bunded with cut stone to prevent the river from washing it It rejoices in the name of wong-yang. Here we put off and took on more passengers and another boat was attached to the hab Aeet morning, after 8 substan stern. ne sai] in tow up to six. We did not waste bringing the number of boats ie na ant, we ay fine Bef oni fr in started again.
and it was only a viridly prenered for ea par ae other eeepc steaming we cut walk; All remarked: upon ita sise es' to G, Ttere. © trlbatery steam fows lone and cleanliness. It was certainly tang Anchored in mid-stream, a RELY. Sonimpdions, star ae rate mile from cither shore, ye a boat capacity was for 2 ked over, which we drew alongsengers. Its length over all Was] side. On the other side of this about 00 forty with fs peat feet tapering to floating stage was a smaller steam launch waiting for us. We tran-the torn, wath oat ere sipped passengers for Cho-ki on to oe {this launch, an er a few, vided with a large, arch of hhaabooe minutes were on our journey again. thickly covered with mats, in the From this point the mountains on shape pt othe Mi ace either side looked most delightful, he officious lauric puffing its, way along from Nan—gyao, and our boatmen lost no me in hitching our craft on to the starboard side of its stern, whilst another boat of somewhat smaller dimensions than ours tied up on the port-side. In fact we. started our journey up river with five boats, arranged in two rows, in tow.
Tha river looked enchanting in the morning mists, which had not yet lifted. The beautiful Six Harmony Sovran Bank Opposite Done-1v Pagoda, with its 13 storeys rowe ing to a great height, overlooked our port of departure. The Chinese resembling "very much our own popularly believe that this Pagoda is beautiful mountain scenery in Cum-{berland or- Scotland. the anchor which prevents the city At mid-day we arrived at Yuof Hangchow from being washed sah. Here we slowed down, but away by the tide! did not stop. Boats came out from Aw. Ipean Srrvarion. the shore laden with passengers Scattered over the hill sides, a and baggage. They were carefully little beyond the Pagoda, are the brought alongside and made fast to our vessel, as their occupants em-houses and buildings of the Hangchow Christian College. They have barked and others on the launch disembarked. an ideal situation, the hill top be-coats distance were the glor- south bark of the river, which is ith'an Observatory. We were steaming along the jous mountains, only their summits showing through the enveloping clouds. They are our destination, and by the time we reach them we hope that the clouds will have rol-very deep here. Tracts of flat land formed by: the river deposit of centuries led to the foot of the hills! half a mile distant. These stretches of flat land are most wonderfully cactablesocia: all Ostibn: most luxuriant growth, and tnany of tha slopes into the valleys are covered with extensive bamboo groves. Spurs of the hills jutting out toward the river are covered with pine trees and camphor laurels interspersed, reminding' one very vividly of Japan.
At 12.25 we arrived at Li-san, an exceedingly pretty riverside village at the estuary of a little mountain stream. Here also there are beautiful bamboo reeves, and an unusually large number of big camphor laurels. A lovely valley e tends between bamboo-clad hillsides, and disappears in between the mountains. Just here an island—very well cultivated—ohstructed the view of the north bank of the river.
Scmo of the valleys are very well cultivated and the hill sides wel: timbered, but the general impression left on one's mind is that a comprehensive scheme of afforestation would be an enormous benefit te this part of China.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.