The Land of the Blue Poppy: Travels of a Naturalist in Eastern Tibet
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r. X^-O-rw'*'-'^ THE LAND OF THE BLUE POPPY CAMBRIDGE UNIVERSITY PRESS aonl>on: FETTER LANE, E.G. C. F. CLAY, Manager ©Binburgfj: loo, PRINCES STREET 53erlin: A. ASHER AND CO. Uripjifi: F. A. BROCKHAUS i^eJjJ gorft : G. P. PUTNAM'S SONS aSombag ani Calctitta: MACMILLAN AND CO., Ltd. All rights reserved Waterfall at T'eng-yueh, West Yunnan : THE LAND OF THE BLUE POPPY TRAVELS OF A NATURALIST IN EASTERN TIBET BY F. KINGDON WARD, B.A., F.R.G.S. LIBRARY NEW YORK BOTANICAL GARDEN Cambridge at the University Press : Cambttlrfit PRINTED BY JOHN CLAY, M.A. AT THE UNIVERSITY PRESS TO THE MEMORY OF MY FATHER HARRY MARSHALL WARD, Sc.D., F.R.S. PROFESSOR OF BOTANY IN THE UNIVERSITY OF CAMBRIDGE, 1895— 1906 THIS BOOK IS AFFECTIONATELY DEDICATED PREFACE THE following chapters record my experiences and observations in Western China and South-Eastern Tibet during the year 191 1, when I was engaged in collecting plants for the horticultural firm of Bees Ltd. Liverpool. The sketch maps are drawn from Major Davies's map of Yunnan, with additions and corrections of my own. While the latter in no sense represent accurate surveys, I think that they will be of assistance to the reader, possibly even to future travellers. The photographs I took myself. A great deal of the pleasure derived from looking back on a year's work in a distant land is associated with memories of the friends I made, and the help they so willingly gave me. To Mr Archibald Rose, CLE., at that time British Acting-Consul in T'eng-yueh, I owe more than I can say. When I entered Yunnan in February 191 1, the people were restless, and it seemed at first that I might not be able to proceed beyond T'eng-yueh. However, Mr Rose, having suggested A-tun-tsi as a likely centre for my plant hunting, promised to see that I got safely thus far, and did so. Not only did A-tun-tsi prove a first-rate collecting ground, but thenceforward everything went smoothly. Mr E. B. Howell, Commissioner of Customs at T'eng- o yueh, brightened many a lonely hour for me by forwarding LT) newspapers and sending up my mails, which came, on the 00 can viii Preface average, about once in five weeks; and to M. Perronne, a French gentleman who was buying musk in A-tun-tsi, and Mr Edgar, English missionary in Batang, I was also indebted for assistance. Finally I must record the deep debt of gratitude I owe Dr Guillemard, who has edited the book and, during my absence, seen it safely through the Press. Dr Guillemard's great experience of travel not in Asia only, and his wide knowledge of natural history, were always at my disposal, an inexhaustible fund of fact and advice to draw on. Numerous alterations and valuable suggestions are due to him, and without the time he willingly expended on it, the work would have been much less presentable. My one hope is that by the time these lines appear I shall be back again in ' the Land of the Blue Poppy.' F. K. W. Cambridge 191 3. CONTENTS CHAP. PAGE I The Call of the Red Gods I II On the Plateau of Yunnan II i8 III On the Li-ti-p'ing . IV Up the Mekong Valley 34 V A-tun-tsi 50 VI A Journey to the Salween 66 VII Through the Lutzu Country to Men-kong 83 VIII Doker-la—the Sacred Mountain . 99 IX On the Road to Batang—the Last Town in China 108 126 X Across the China-Tibet Frontier . XI The Wonderful Mekong .... 139 XII Mountain and Monastery; a second Journey to the Yang-tze ....••• 153 XIII Over the Riin-tsi-la; a third Journey to the Yang-tze 167 181 XIV A Winter Journey amongst the Lutzu . XV Through the Land of the Cross-bow . 197 XVI The Revolutionist Occupation of La-chi-mi . 2X1 XVII The Last of the Mekong . 224 XVIII Back to Burma . 243 XIX The Land of Deep Corrosions 254 Appendix I . 274 Appendix II 279 Index . 280 LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS Waterfall at T'eng-yueh, West Yunnan . Frontispiece To face p. I Temple built over a boulder near Tali-fu . .8 Mr A. Rose, CLE., Late Acting-Consul at T'eng-yueh . „ II Street and Gateway, Tali-fu i6 III Washing for gold in the bed of the Kin-sha . .20 Lake scene, Yunnan plateau IV Temple and Pagoda at T'eng-yueh . .24 Li-ti-p'ing fir forest . Ori the ; grass-land and „ V Wei-hsi-t'ing, seen from camp . • . -34 VI Descent from Wei-hsi to the Mekong Valley ; Mekong- Salween Divide beyond . -38 VII The Mekong at Tsu-kou . .40 A rapid on the Mekong, below Tsu-kou . • »> VIII The Mekong at Tsu-kou, looking north; Mekong- Yang-tze Divide in the distance . '44 IX A Mule being slung across the rope bridge over the Mekong at Tsu-kou 50 A Lutzu crossing the Salween in the jungle region . „ X An Oasis in the Mekong Valley arid region north of Yang-tsa 54 Tibetan traders at Wei-hsi ....... XI A-tun-tsi from the South ; ruins of the monastery in the foreground . • 58 XII Tibetan Women of A-tun-tsi . .62 Chinese and Tibetan boys in holiday attire at A-tun-tsi . „ XIII My Caravan coming through the Mekong gorges on the way to the Salween ...... 66 XIV The Mekong-Salween Divide, seen from below the Sie-la . 70 XV Porters crossing the Sie-la, 14,000 feet . -72 XVI At the limit of trees, Mekong-Salween Divide; Abies forest thinning out at 13,000 feet . '74 List of Illustrations XI To face p. XVII Crossing the Salween at Cho-la in dug-out canoes 82 XVIII Lutzu cross-bow man of Cho-la ..... 84 Lutzu woman of Cho-la ...... A Lutzu woman of Cho-la carrying a bamboo water-tub XIX A Lutzu girl of Cho-la weaving hemp cloth Lutzu of Saung-ta in the arid region of the Salween Valley XX The Monastery, Men-kong 96 Men-kong, capital of Tsa-riing, S.E. Tibet, Salween Valley XXI Priests' houses, Men-kong monastery .... 98 Mani-pyramids ; the peak of K'a-gur-pu in the back- ground ......... XXII Primula pseudosikkinensis growing at 11,500 feet near A-tun-tsi ........ 108 XXIII Sunset over the Yang-tze ; looking north to Batang from the edge of the plateau ...... XXIV Tibetan women of S.E. Tibet, showing the curious manner of doing the hair ..... 124 A Tibetan girl of A-tun-tsi. ..... XXV Yak-skin coracle on the Yang-tze, near Batang . 130 Lake occupying a rock-basin at 16,000 feet on the Mekong-Yang-tze Divide ..... XXVI View on the grass-land plateau, S.E. Tibet, 13,000 feet 134 XXVII Two views of the Mekong at Samba-dhuka, showing fluted limestone cliffs and rope bridge 144 XXVIII Wayside Temple in the Mekong Valley below Y'a-k'a-lo 148 Crossing a torrent in S.E. Tibet XXIX K'a-gur-pu, from an altitude of 12,000 feet, near A-tun-tsi, looking west 150 XXX Screes above A-tun-tsi on the Mekong-Yang-tze Divide, 16,000 feet ........ 156 XXXI The Mekong-Yang-tze Divide, looking south from the Chnu ma-la . .172 XXXII Francis Gamier Peak (14,000 feet), at the head of the Chun-tsung-la ....... 184 XXXIII The Chun-tsung-la, 13,000 feet ..... 186 XXXIV Sunset over the Salween-Irrawaddy Divide; view looking south-west from the Chun-tsung-la 188 XXXV A Lissu woman of the Mekong Valley 194 A Lama priest of Wei-hsi ; xii List of Illustrations To face p. XXXVI The Salween ferry at Lu-k'ou 228 Shan village in the foot-hills of the Salween Valley near Hwei-p*o ......... XXXVII Looking down into the Salween Valley from the Salween- Shweli Divide near Hwei-p'o ..... 240 Chain and wood bridge over the Shweli (eastern branch) near Kai-t'ou ....... XXXVIII The Yang-tze in the arid region, looking south from near Batang ........ 262 The Salween in the arid region, below La-kor-ah . „ XXXIX The Salween forests in summer, Mekong-Salween Divide, 8000 feet . .270 The Salween forests in winter, Mekong-Salween Divide, 12,000 feet ......... MAPS I Key Map. Showing the relation of the region traversed to China, Tibet, Burma, and Assam. {The figures refer to the large scale sketch maps) ...... 4 II Sketch map to illustrate the route from T'eng-yueh to Wei-hsi, and the return journey through the tribal country. [Chapters II and III; XV and XVI^ . .11 III Map to illustrate journey from A-tun-tsi to the Salween and back. (Scale : 4 miles to the inch. By courtesy of the Royal Geographical Society) . -52 IV Sketch map to illustrate journeys (i) round A-tun-tsi, (ii) to the Salween, and (iii) to the Yang-tze. {(Chapters V to IX XI to XV] 69 V Sketch map to illustrate journeys to and from Batang. [Chapters IX to XI] in CHAPTER I THE CALL OF THE RED GODS On my return from Western China in September, 1910, I settled down to humdrum life with every prospect of becoming a quiet and respectable citizen of Shanghai. But in vain ; travel had bitten too deeply into my soul, and I soon began to feel restless again, so that when after four months of civilised life something better turned up, I accepted with alacrity.