Peking to Lhasa : vol.1 / Page 44 (Color Image)

0044	Peking to Lhasa : vol.1

CHAPTER III

THE HWA SHAN

HAVING made this brief incursion into Honan,

Pereira recrossed the Yellow River, returned to

Kwanyintang and from there set out for the

Province of Shensi and its famous capital, Sian—

often spelt Signan—once the capital of China.

But on the way he made a short detour to visit

the beautiful mountain of pilgrimage the Hwa

Shan, one of the five sacred mountains of China

and for this excursion he received every assistance

from the Chinese officials.

On entering Shensi he found practically all the

villages were surrounded by a mud wall, thus

showing that brigandage was prevalent. The

inns, too, were very poor, consisting of two rows

of rooms, like cells without windows, each about

8 feet square, on either side of the yard. As a

set-off was the goodwill of the Chinese officials :

the magistrate called on him late at night and

insisted on his taking up his abode in the yamen,

and offered to make all arrangement for the trip

to the Hwa Shan.

Starting off on a fine April day, Pereira crossed

a plain green with wheat and budding trees and

sprinkled with the pink of peach blossoms and

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