New-York tribune., 1907-08-18
CH[NA'SSU MINER RESORT
Kuling, or Cooling, in the Mountain
VaIley 1000 feet 1bOUe the Sea.

kuLng, or COOLlnS, IN me MOuHtdfH
Valley 1000 feet 4boUe the Sea.
To find summer resorts in China is like find
ing fans in Iceland. How dumfounded new
conner to the Celestial Empire would be if while
travelling in the interior. passing miserable mud
huts and squalid cities with thousands OF IN
habitants where filth and disease abound ne
should suddenly come upon a white housed
flower bedecked and green carpeted modern VII
1age where no straw or mud shanty could be
seen. where no grimy smokestack from lts loiti-
ness vomited SCOT begrmed smoke and dirt on
everything below where there were no scream
ing whistles nor buzzing factories nor railways
and streetcars nor rushing automobiles to dis
turb the neacef,Ilness: hut where only splashing
brooks children's laughter. church bells. the
rustlinr of cooling breezes through the leaves
and the mellow notes of the piano broke the
stiffness No spot could he imagined nearer 10
natures heart and such a spot exists III reaii'S
and is rapidly becoming known all over tne
world as by far the most important summer
resort in the interior Of China II is kuling sit
uated in one Of the most picturesque mountain
valleys in the empire some two hundred ana
afty miles from the sea. and fifteen miles south
of the city Of Kiukiang on the Yangtse, and at
an elevation OF four thousand feet above the
sea.
The mountains. as one approaches do not
present a view that by its impressive mightlhess
sences one. but the cliffs. seemingly so mutely
content for others to tower above them. and the
higher ores so modestly accepting the situa-
tion en,phasize that most beautiful of lessons
contentment with lot
The climate OF the valley is temperate rarely
falling below 20 degrees in winter. while careful
observation has shown that the mean maxi
mum and minimum for July is seldom more
than II and 66 degrees. respectively. and for
August 76 and 63 In summer. in contrast 10
most of the rest of China the air is wonderfully
fresh, invigorating and life giving The SUMS
rays. when inclined he uncomfortable. which
is seldom arc tempered by the surrounding
mountain SUBMITS and by the clouds which, like
mighty snow winged birds. hover over them. To
eniov this coolness. which every foreigner needs
in n Chinese summer, hundreds go there from
Shanghai. Hong Kong, Hankow. Marking Can
ton and from all interior China. The falling
health of those who would have been compelled
TO return TO their homes has been restored. and
scores of lives have been preserved by its cool
ing restorative breezes.
1t seems miraculous that many modern.
clean, stone dwellings, could nestle themselves in
such a homelike atmosphere up and down this
beautiful valley so far in the interior of China
within the short space of ten years. but it was
no further back than 1896 that few struggling
bungalows first made their appearance in Kul-
ing How the property was purchased is most
interesting history and is told at length by Ed
ward S. Little in his little pamphlet, THE Story
of Kuling" It was he who. in attempt to
escape the malignant intensity of China's sum-
mers, first found this spot which nature had pre-
pared as she has in all other cases, as an anti
for Mr a
that time the mountain top was a wild waste
given over to tigers. wild pigs and a few stray
charcoal burners. One solitary temple. Hwang-
Lung broke the solitude rather emphasized
it. -Four hundred temples destroyed by the Tai
ping rebels were scattered in every direction
Great difficulty experienced in getting the
Chinese officials to stamp the deeds, although
| times were propitious because of the Chinese
| Japanese War. which was then being waged, and
the occasion of strict instructions from
Peking to all local officials that every Difference
be shown to foreigners. Even after the deeds
| We're stamped and the locality turned to the
| foreign buyers there still remained the almost
insurmountable barrier of native prejudice to be
overcome and this manifested itself most strong
| ly when the building of the steep, winding road
up and in and around the mountains began.
Different clans of mountaineers claimed the
right to this as indisputably theirs and not
only fought among themselves when work was
attempted By any of the Others but threatened
any foreigner who should try to oversee the
Work ana CtpiuISu hpu iIipliSoiieu HALVES VINO
We're sent to inspect the route. when, after
vexatious WORKINGS, the road sufficiently
finished to permit the passing of chairs. excit
ing episode happened Mr.. Little, in company
with his wife and children three women friends
and a Mr.. Milward, started in chairs the
| first trip up the new road to kuling. OF this
| trip, or, rather, attempted one, he says:
I'VE went out and stayed the night at the
community bungalow situated at the foothills.
We began the ascent the next morning No
chairs had gone the road, and there
great deal of fuss and disputings before
| even a start could be made. At length gor
| off. and had just begun to ascend when Mr.. Mil
wards man came running to meet u.s. telling us
| that there riot at the top and that the
bungalow had been burned and all our property
destroyed, and that the rioters, who were armed
with rude country weapons. We're looking for
| the foreigners TO kill them. Our chairmen re-
! fused to move, and of course the trip had TO be
| abandoned. We returned the community
bungalow, the chairmen refusing. however to
carry We told them going back 10
Kiukiang. When this was determined upon we