Worcester daily spy. [volume] (Worcester [Mass.]) 1850-1888, 1872-02-15

! MOUNTAIN CLANS IN CHINA.-In the north
eastern corner OF the province of Yunnan rises
| a chain OF mountains, which, winding its way
| through the southern portion of the province OF
| Kwel-chow, passes through part of Kwang-se,
and gradually melts away into the plains on
| tue east Of the kwang-tung frontier. The whole
Of this thin line Of highland territory, meas
uring about four hundred miles, and running
| through the southern centre of the empire, is
virtually independent of China. Its inhah-
| tants acknowledge no allegiance 10 the emperor,
entirely ignore the authority of the mandarlns,
and hold only just as much communication
with their more civilized neighbors OF the plans
as suits their purposes. By these they are
known by the generic name of Miao-tsze, which
is made TO include the numerous tribes
who nhabit the whole range. Ethnolo-
gy is not a study consecrated by the
lahors of Confucius, and is therefore lightly es-
teemed by his disciples, consequently little is to
be learned of the antecedents of the Miao-tsze
from Chinese sources, and the difficulty Of pen
Grating into the mountain receSses has left us
| equally ignorant of their manners and customs.
| They are by no means well disposed toward
| Travellers and show decided preference for
their money to their company. No European
has ever Yentured into their retreats, and CHI
nese travellers never willingly trust themselves
among them. Enough, however, may be gath
cred from the brief notices to be found in Chi
| nese books TO affirm that they are, for the most
part, otfshootS from the great Lao nation,
| which had its original seat in Yunnan, and
| which has spread its branches westward TO south
| eastern India, southwark TO Siam, and east
| ward through the provinces of kwel-chow,
| Kwang-se aud Kwang-tung. Though living
| in the immediate neighborhood of the Chinese
| of the surrounding plain country, they have
| never shown any disposition to amaTamate
| with them. lntermarriage between the two
| races IS unknown, and almost the only means
the two people have of obtaining intimate
| knowledge OF each other, are furnished by the
| ppruptual fpr1uiup pNnplitiODS OO1pItaEpu Inv
| the mountaineerS upon the farms and villages
| of the Chinese. Notwithstanding the contempt
with which the latter affect TO regard the Mao
| tsze, they Studiously abstain from invading their
| territory, and have cOntented themselves with
establishing military posts along the foot of the
mountains to check their descents on to the
plains. These garrisOns, TO Il certain extent,
fulfill their object, but are often oyerpowered;
and not many years ago an army OF $4,000 Mao
| tSze soldiers utterly routed an imperial force
| sent to chdstise them.
In appearance the various mountain clans diff
| fer very little from each other, but between their
general physiognomy and that of the Chinese
there is a wide gulf. They are shorter, darker,
aud are possessed of sharper features than their
| pig-tailed neighbOrs. In their habits they are
less constrained, and there is a bright joyous
ness about the youth of both sexes which is very
| taking. For the most part the men wear tu1-
bans of either blue Or red cloth, and almost in.
| yariaby carry the 'dao, or knife, SINCE tao,
| which is common also to the hill tribes OF Chit
| TAGGING. A few Of the women wear kind OF
| cap; but only those of the tribe which
admits them to the supreme manage
ment of family affairs wear turbans.
That the existence of these small independent
TRIES should be possible in the midst of such a.
| large and homogeneous race as the Chinese, is
passing strange; and although no doubt the in
accessible nature of their mountain fdstness is
their main protection, yet further reason must
be sought for in their superior warlike spirit to
account for their having been able TO maintain
their independent and distinct existence for so
many centuries. The Chinese government has
never been Indifferent to their presence, but
though it has repeatedly attempted to subiugate
and absorb them, it has always failed, and at
present appears to be as far from attaining its
| object as it was decade of centuries ago.
The CorRhU Magazine.