Modern Chengtu, if not of such vast dimensions as described Marco Polo, is a sufficiently Imposing city, with many fine buildings and Tong straight streets running, at right tangles to each other. These latter ive it, the air of a northern tows and with the old "Imperial City" (Huang Cheng)—now occupied by the Chengiu University—right in the centre it has a certain resemblance to. Peiping.
These streets which are somewhat narrow. were laid out 20 years ayo and, significantly enough, "only (we or three have been further widened since then, to suit the requirements fof modern tremie. "Indeed, except for a palatial new Post OMm\ee which was in course of construction, there seemed to be very little going on in the way of civic improvement, when Twas there, although for the last two years the province hax enjoyed an unusually long. spell of peace. Prior to that, of course, nothing, was done: the warlords being too busy with their private feuds to attend to such unimportant matter:
To the south of the city lo the extensive grounds of the West China Union University, 'a combined effort of American, British and Canadian missions. One of the buildings there, well worth a visit, is the museum under the curatorship'of the Rev. D.
Graham, which contains avery. complete collection "of Chinese art and handicraft, with particular emphasis on that' of West. China, the {tribal and Tibetan sections "being, particularly interest With its fine buildings, trim. walies and playingefiolds the university Isa very pleasant spot indeed," And gather that the soldiers of Gen. Liu Hsiang think so too—for every. they invaded the university. permission and used the campus for their exercises, to. train themselves to resist foreign aggression, rained Relations with Nanking did not meet Gen, Liu Hsiang oF any of the other important persons in Chengtu to whom Thad introdue= They were all too busy too sick {0 see me, Perhaps the. fact that my introductions emanated {rom Nanking may have had something to do with this, for relations were said to be strained, andthe place was full of alarming rumours about impending trouble between Sze and the Central Government, spite its city was obviously. suffering bad attack of nerves, rolled "the streets; the bank-notes were regarded with picion; people would gloomily shake their heads and murmur that. soo thing dreadful was going to happen very. shortly. was that Jing enjoyed two. years of unwonted peace, they fell it was too good to last and was more than they had a right to expect from their rulers, and so felt sure that it was about' time for another little war and the return of the "good old days"
Six Wentical Forms Signed My only experience of the state of {ension was that T was called on to sign the usual lengthy questionnaire (Continued on pave 566)
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.