The Washington herald., 1908-06-21
OPENING WESTERN CHINA
Transportation Difficult Into the
Land of Tibet.
TntsienIu Is the Gateway Through
which POurs Trade from the
Little known Interior.

Consul Mason Mitchell, reporting from
Chungking. gives the following informa-
ton Of the little-known region OF Western
China and the Tibetan borderland:
Tatsienlu. in the province Of Szechwan.
Western China, Is the last town before
reaching the Tibetan border. 1t is situat-
ed az an elevation OF S,4OO feet, in the
high mountains that extend through
Western China into Tibet. To reach Tat
sienlu from Chungking it requires twenty
one days. the route crossing mountain
passes over 1900 feet high.
Until the present dynasty the Tibetan
boundary line extended as far east as
Tatsienlu, but under the present regime
il is now drawn eighteen days travel
farther west. at the town OF Batang AS
this border strip OF territory is mostly
populated by Tibetans. they are under the
Jurisdiction of three Tibeian kings. each
having his district. but all under the SOW
eregnty Of the Chinese government
Tatsienlu is a small town. with low
wooden houses and a population OF 1900,
mostly Tibetans It's strategical and COM
mercial importance Is due 10 being the
gateway 10 Tibet and the high plateaus
20 the northwest. In this district are the
splendid grazing pastures, where q fine
quality Of wool Is produced. Farther on
Is the Tachin River which forms the
boundary between Eastern Tibet and one
OF the aboriginal Chinese tribes called
the Mantzu.
A large trade Is done here in rhubarb
and musk. the latter taken from the small
hornless deer plentiful in this part Of
China. OF the exports Of this district,
musk is the most valuable, the price OF
the medium quality being Thirteen times
its weight in silver.
The product is obtained from a saclike
gland I'm the abdomen. It is carefully
dried and sewn I'm small bags. called
musk pods of one ounce each. made from
the skin Of the animal The musk deer
Of Northwestern China is an allied species
end is only found at an elevation over
5000 feet 1t stands about twenty inches
az the shoulder, but it's chief ch3raCteris-
tic is the absence Of antlers i'm both sexes.
The males have tusks protruding from the
lower jaw 10 a length Of three inches.
The species Is known as the Moschus ST.
fanicus.
Next in Importance OF exports is wool.
This trade Of late has diminished. owing
10 the disturbances on the border. The
coarse sacklike wool cloth "mu-tsz" is
worn by all Chinese coolies, while a fine
grade dyed red called pull Is the cloth
ing Of the higher class OF the Tibetans.
The lower classes. such as yak and pony
drivers, wear entirely undressed sheep
skins. About 5000 pounds Of wool is re-
ceived annually in TatsIenIu.
Gold is known as 'Huang huo" and Is
bought for sale in the form Of dust.
though sometimes nuggets are found.
From 5000 10 1000 ounces come TO Tat
sienlu annually But little profit Is made
there. as it brings only so 10 S24 per
ounce. The Tibetan confines mining TO
washing the allUvial sand I'm the river
beds lie is averse 10 outsiders mining in
his country, his antipathy TO them being
very great. The Tibetan wishes 10 be let
alone and strongly resents foreign intru-
sion