Evening star., 1921-07-31
WAR SM0LDERS
IN SOUTH CHINA
National Geographic Society
Gives Description of Hos
:
tile Provinces.

Hostilities have broken out between
. China, Kwangsi remaining loyal to
the Peking government. while Cam
ton, in the Kwangtung province, Is
the stronghold Of DR.. Sun Yat-Sen's
= party, according to recent dispatches
These two provinces of the former
, Celestial empire crawl in a dragon
trail line across the south of the
country from a point just west of
Formosa, where they begin to skirt
-; the China sea west to the reaches OF
: little known Yunnan and Siam. They
are interesting in the very antitheses
:. of some of their characteristics,
says a bulletin of the National Geo.
GzAEhic Society.
Pauper and Prince.
"Kwangsi is usually considered the
pauper province and is the least
densely populated portion of China,
while Kwangtung, which contains
Canton, one of the largest cities IN
the east, is the most ambitious OF the
divisions of the republic.
From ancient times. Kwangsi.
however. has been a mysterious re-
gion. Its wild mountain Businesses
and forest-clad hills have been the
haupts of robbers, rebels and reVo-
lutionists. The natives have peopied
it's grottoes. caves and crags with
:sprites. and nature has populated the
hills with wild beasts that wander
unmolested through the sparsely set
tied mountain districts.
"The hill regions. due to their
steepness and lack of soil. drive the
existence upon it's rivers. the pic
.turesque and typical native 5unks
gliding past the queer dat-bottom
craft and the salt boats. on all OF
which at night the people, having
cast anchor. sleep to the lullaby of the
weird calls Of the natives to frighten
off the evil spirits.
Prophets Cherished.
"Kweilin. the capital of Kwangsi.
like the capitals sof most of China's
eighteen provinces, is located on the
banks of hospitable river-the Kwei,
a large tributary of the West river.
Here in city which cherishes the
memory of Shun. who lived in 1900
Be, and to whom 5000 years later
was built temple which is standing
today, the governor of Kwangsi re-
sides. The lake region between
Pinglo and kweilin does not leave the
traveller guessing how the fairy
stories originated. but makes him
tourists have not made beaten trail
to some of the eIfin haunts
Just within the eastern boundary of
the province stands Wuchow. the COM
mercial capital Of Kwangsi.
tung We have Anglicized into Canton,
just one Of the many names which that
city has worn since the days of ancient
imperial Cathay. Its soubriquet is the
City of the Goat. which it won because
@ do xr,;t
its before the end Of the Chou dynasty
in $50 B. c. upon five goats, and their
traditional mounts. which it is ex-
planned. were turned into stone, are
pointed out to this day.
Seat Of Progress.
The sleek Cinnamon of Canton re-
semble closely the types which one sees
In various parts of the United States. as
the progressive Cantonese are ready to
leave their country to try their luck in
other climes. The native Chinese sky-
scrapers of this city, which have been
modelled after those Of New York, would
give the homesick American a lump in
his throat for a sight of the skyline of
Manhattan. But out beyond the city in
the rural districts of Kwangtung he
would probably forget his pangs In the
charm OF the low stone houses of the
Villagers tucked behind fields Of plumed
imillet, near their sweet potato terraces
and rice SwampS, over which futter long
lines of white streamcrs to scare away
the magpies.
The let-spangled meadows, the
,luxuriant ferns, the mystic purple
lotus, the fragrant Chinese narcissus,
which almost grows before his eyes.
the heavily clustered bougainvillea,
and the giant bamboo make 1t q land
of beauty and delight.
. "kwangtung raises large numbers of
mulberry trees from which the worms
spin some of our best silk, and since
the return of many Of Kwangtung's
people from Manila, where they have
learned the secrets Of expert tobacco
culture. this product is being added to
her list"