Peking to Lhasa : vol.1 / Page 299 (Color Image)

0299	Peking to Lhasa : vol.1

THE LAST TREK 215

families, at an elevation of 4215 feet, was reached

on July 31. The distance was 16/ miles. There

was a rather steep climb to Kan - chia - ya - k' ou,

5400 feet. The road then lay along fairly well-

wooded hill-side, with pretty views over the fertile

valley of the San Ho on the left. The trees were

mostly firs. At 12 miles there was a steep descent

of 1200 feet, and the road then lay across the

fertile Hwa-p'ing valley.

The road on August 1 lay down the Hwa-p'ing

Ho valley for 3 miles, and then gradually turned

westward up the very fertile Hsin-chuang Ho

valley. Here he saw rice being cut for the first

time. Maize, millet, cotton, egg plant and oil-

bearing plants were also grown, and he bought

some very hard pears which were quite good to

eat. At 12 miles was Hsing-Chuang, with twenty-

five families, and beyond it the way led up a steep,

beautiful little gorge and along a small valley to

Pien-wu, 4696 feet, a scattered village of thirty-

five families, among well-wooded hills. The ther-

mometer was 93° in the shade.

The Lisu village of Ai-chüch was visited on the

next day. It lay just off the road 7i miles from

Pien-wu, and consisted of about a dozen houses

scattered among maize fields about half-way. The

houses were built of logs without mud between,

and they usually had penthouse thatched roofs.

These Lisu are of Tibetan origin and occupy the

surrounding hills, whilst the Chinese take the more

fertile valleys. The men are very like the black

Lolos. One man was 5 feet 4 inches. They all

had Mongol eyes and very broad, beaked noses.

They were dressed in a rather short blue gown with

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