The Brattleboro daily reformer. (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1913-1955, 1922-06-01
SOUTH CHINA
Kwangsi and Kwangtung are Sauper
and Prince Provinces of China.


Kwansi and Kwangtung. containing
Canton of the former Celestial empire,
crawl in a dragon-tail line across the
south of China from a point just west OF
Formosa, where they begin to SKIRT the
China sea west to the reaches OF Ilttle-
known Yunnan and Siam. Iney are IN
teresting in the very antithesis of some
Of their characteristics, says bulletin OF
the National Geographic society, Wash
Kwangsi is usually considered the
pauper province and is the least densely
populated portion of China, while
Kwangtrlng which contains SantOn, one
of the largest cities in the East, is the
most ambitious Of the divisions of the re
public.
From ancient times, Kwangsi, however,
has been a mysterious region. Its wild
mountain Businesses and fOreSt-cIad hills
have been the haunts of robbers, rebels
and rev0lutionists. The natives have
peopled its grottOes, caves, and craGs
with fairies devils, dragons and elhn
sprites, and nature has populated the
hills with wild beasts that wander un-
mCltested through the sparsely settled
mountain districts
The hill regions. due to their steepness
and lack of soil. drive the people of the
province to,a floating existence upon its
rivers, the picturesque and typical native
junks gliding past the queer t1at-bottom
craft and the salt boats, on all of which
at night the people, having cast anchor,
sleep to the lullaby of the ceaseless roar
OF waters and the weird calls of the ma
tives to brighten off the evil spirits.
kWeilin the capital of kwangSI, like
the capitals of most of China's Is prov
inces is located on the banks of Il hos
pitable river-the Kwei, a large tribu-
tary of the West river. Here in n city
which cherishes the memory of Shun, vino
lived in 1900 3. c., and to whom 5000
years later was built a temple which Is
standing today, the governor of kwangsi
resides The lake region between Pinglo
and Kweilin does not leave the traveller
guessing how the fairy stories originated,
but makes him wonder why the more
appreciative tourists have not made a
beaten trail to some of the eltin haunts.
Just within the eastern boundary of
the province stands Wuchow, TIE com
mercial capital of Kwaugsi.
The Chinese province name kwang-
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
five immortals once rode within its limits
before the end of the Chou dynasty in
$50 Il. {. upon five goats. and their ira
ditiOnal mounts, which it is explained.
were turned into stone, are pointed out
to tins day.
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 Skyscrapers
of the 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 dis
tricts of kWangtung he would probaly
forget his pangs in the charm of the low
stone houses Of the villagers tucked be
hind fields of plumed millet. near the
sweet pOJ&to terraces and rice swamps.
over which LCtter long lines of white
streamers to scare away the magpies
The violet-spangled meadows the lux
uriant ferns, the mystic purple lotus. the
fragrant Chinese narcissus, which almost
grows before his eyes. the heavily clus-
tered bOUgainvillea, and the giant BAN
boo make it Il 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 Kwangtungs people
from Manila, where they have learned
the Sc rrets of expert tobacco culture
this p, 3duct is being added to her list