. New China and old : personal recollections and observations of thirty years. and arefixed for the summers ceaseless toil along the canalbanks. The yellow oxen, which blindfolded turn theflat wheels of these pumps, are enjoying rest and freshpasture now on the low hill-sides, or amongst the cloverand buttercups which clothe the tombs ; and as ourboat nears the hills, red bunches of azaleas hang fromthe bank and mirror themselves in the water of theinundated rice land below. The hills are in all their full-orbed beauty. Besidesthe great carpet of azaleas, wistaria crowns the rocks,and sometime
. New China and old : personal recollections and observations of thirty years. and arefixed for the summers ceaseless toil along the canalbanks. The yellow oxen, which blindfolded turn theflat wheels of these pumps, are enjoying rest and freshpasture now on the low hill-sides, or amongst the cloverand buttercups which clothe the tombs ; and as ourboat nears the hills, red bunches of azaleas hang fromthe bank and mirror themselves in the water of theinundated rice land below. The hills are in all their full-orbed beauty. Besidesthe great carpet of azaleas, wistaria crowns the rocks,and sometimes camphor-trees, thirty or forty feet high,are festooned from the summit to the ground by branchesof this beautiful and fragrant creeper, falling and trailing CotLiitry Scenes. 111 amongst the brilliant green of the young camphorleaves. Single camellias also abound, and blue borage ;and the fir-trees are in flower ; and women and girls arebusy amongst the trees gathering the pollen to mixwith cakes. And now I hear a charm of song through all the land. w\. \ !,j i!f M] t^:.. Ploughing with a Water Buffalo. The blackbird and the Chinese yellow-eyebrowedthrush make the hills resound with melody, the wood-pigeons murmur, and the soaring cry of rooks and thecroak of the raven are heard ; besides many sweet notespeculiar to these beautiful hills and plains of China. 112 Coimtry Life. Meanwhile the patient but doubtful-tempered waterbuffalo, urged by incessant shouts from the ploughman,is plunging and toiling through the deep mud of the rice-ground ; first with the simple plough, which is so lightthat it can be carried on the shoulder ; and then, whenthe soil is thoroughly upturned and the clods are brokenup, the rough harrow follows, the ploughman standing onits frame and driving the buffalo before him. But plainand hill are not always beautiful to the eye. A monthlater the summer rains, on which the harvest depends,set in, and with steady, relentless downpour continueday after day,
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