The times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1897-1901, 1900-08-05
THE cAvE-DwELLERs OF CHINA.
Whole Villages Exist in Single, HoI-
Iowed-Out Chambers.
From the Kansas City star)

loWeu-Out CHAMBERS
(From the Kansas City Star.)
| Although the vast mobs which infest
! Pekin and the larger cities Of China are
! worked up to a state of fernzy and fanat-
1 icsm the great Chinese population proper
is agricultural and naturally extremely
peaceful. Agriculture, however, is most
primitive and the wonder Is how such an
( immense population can Unsupported from
the soil until the great economy practiced
in all things is understood. On the Great
Plain of Ciina every available foot of land
is utilized for growing something, and
every particle of fertility returned to the
soil. Waters are used for irrigation, and in
many cases laboriously distributed over the
fields.
The Great Plain is about 700 miles in
length and varies from 200 to 400 miles in
width. occupying the northeastern part of
the empire, and containing over 100000
square miles OF wonderfully fertile soil. Ii
supports population of not less than IT,
000,GG0 human beings. making it the most
densely settled Of any part Of the world
of the same size. its inhabitants amounting
to nearly two-thirds OF the entire popula-
ton of Europe.
wonderful feature in the physical ge-
ography of China is the existence OF a vast
region of loess in this portion of the EN-
pire. Loess is very solid but frable
earth, brownish yellow in color, and is
found in many places from 500 to 900 feet
deep. The loess hills rise in terraces from
twenty to several hundred feet in height.
The loess region of China is perhaps the
most broken country in the world with its
sheer cliffs and upright walls. terraces, ana
deep-cut ravines. Owing to the ease with
which 1t can be worked. caves made at the
bases of straight cliffs afford homes to
millions of people in the densely populated
northern provinces. Whole villages clus-
ter together in carved-out chambers, some
of which extend back more than 200 feet.
The capabilities of defence in a country
such as this, where an invading army must
necessarily become lost ard absolutely be-
wildered in the tangle of interlacing ways
and where the defenders may always re-
main concealed or have innumerable means
OF escape, is peculiarly significant at this
time, when consideration is being given
to a conquest OF China
The rivers of China are her glory, and
there are few countries in the world so
well watered and none other with such
splendid natural water transportation ia
cilities. The three great rivers of the
Empire are the Yangise Kiang Child of
the ocean,, the Hoang Ho yellow River),
and the Chu Kiang pearl River or Canton
RIVER. OF these the Yangtse is much
the largest, flowing through extensive and
Eastern Sea, after traversing a distance
of over 1000 miles. Its discharge is esti-
mated * 100000 cubic feet per second
The banks of the Yangtse are crowded
with towns and villages. the most famous
OF which are Nankin and the new treaty
port of Hankow. The Hoang Ho or yell
low River is noted especially for its fire.
quent and violent floods. Its current is
very rapid and its course sinuous. The
mr. Canton River while nearly
so large as the others, is stream of great
importance and innumerable vessels trade
upon its waters.
At some points it spreads into large
lakes; in others it passes between narrow
gorges, which, If damned, would afford
large storage capacity for irrigation. The
Chinese, however. have not practically
worked out irrigation in its different
phases as completely as would be expected
of such an agricultural people.
Irrigation, nevertheless, is practiced to a
considerable extent through the use of tho
waters of the Grand Canal and by wells.
The Grand or Imperial Canal is work OF
great magnitude. 1t was constructed in
the seventh century and enlarged in the
thirteenth century. II trayerses the great
plain and flows with but slight current for
a distance Of 200 miles. While built for
purposes of communication. it's waters are
used largely for irrigation, and thousands
of drains and creeks have been made TO
connect with It along its route
The modes of irrigation are ancient and
crude. One of the most picturesque is by
means OF the water wheel, which is used
where the land TO be watered is we'll above
the channel OF the river. The wheel is
turned by the force of the current and is
perhaps thirty feet high. Its buckets are
sections of bamboo. which. as they are
raised by the motion of the wheel. empty
their contents into troughs or bitches Hol-
low bamboo pipes or tubes are sometimes
used for distributing water over the feds.
They rest upon wooden supports AID
branch in every direction from the source
of supply. The chain pump is also
common means of lifting water, the chain
running up from the water on a slant and
being provided with little buckets at in
tervals which. as they reach the highest
point and begin to ascend, discharge their
contents These machines are worked by
buffaloes or sometimes by human labor, a
man working a crank with his feet some
thing after the manner of riding bicycle
The most primitive and laborious meth
cd is the ancient well sweep such as is
seen today on many an old New England
homestead.