. The awakening of China . ch the Chinese sayare full of chang chi, poisonous gases which arefatal to men and animals—^like the Grotto del Cane inItaly. But these gorges and cliffs abound in betterthings also. They are rich in unexploited coal measuresand they contain also many mines of the purest copperore. The river that washes its borders here bears thename of Kinsha, the river of golden sands. Someof its rivers have the curious peculiarity of flowingthe reverse way, that is, to the west and south insteadof toward the eastern sea. The Chinese accordinglycall the province Tiensheng the count
. The awakening of China . ch the Chinese sayare full of chang chi, poisonous gases which arefatal to men and animals—^like the Grotto del Cane inItaly. But these gorges and cliffs abound in betterthings also. They are rich in unexploited coal measuresand they contain also many mines of the purest copperore. The river that washes its borders here bears thename of Kinsha, the river of golden sands. Someof its rivers have the curious peculiarity of flowingthe reverse way, that is, to the west and south insteadof toward the eastern sea. The Chinese accordinglycall the province Tiensheng the country of theconverse streams. Within the borders of Yunnan there are said to bemore than a hundred tribes of aborigines all more orless akin to those of Kweichau and Burma, but eachtmder its own separate chief. Some of them arefine-looking, vigorous people; but the Chinese describethem as living in a state of utter savagery. Mis-sionaries, however, have recently begun work forthem; and we may hope that, as for the Karens of. PROVINCES OF THE UPPER YANG-TSE 53 Burma, a better day will soon dawn on the Yunnanaborigines. • The French, having colonies on the border, arenaturally desirous of exploiting the provinces of thissouthern belt, and China is intensely suspicious ofencroachment from that quarter. CHAPTER XI NORTHWESTERN PROVINCES Shansi—Shensi—Earliest Known Home of the Chinese —Kansuh OF THE three northwestern provinces, the richestis Shansi. More favoured in climate and soilthan the other members of the group, its populationis more dense. Divided from Chihli by a range ofhills, its whole stirface is hilly, but not highlands give variety to its temperature—con-densing the moisture and supplying water for irriga-tion. The valleys are extremely fertile, and of themit may be said in the words of Job, As for the earth,out of it Cometh bread: and underneath it is turnedup as it were fire. Not only do the fields yield finecrops of wheat and millet, but th
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