The Challis messenger. (Challis, Idaho) 1912-current, 1925-05-13
CHINESE
TURKESAN

I latest country TO attract q
American scientific and bi
game hunting expedition,
with the possible exception of Tibe
the most inaccessible region of cor
siderable extent outside the frigi
zones. Tibet is huge lofty platea
from which rises range after range o
mountains. 1t is this huge wild
| Tibetan mountain mass which block
the road from the south to Chimes
Turkestan. To the southwest is tn
sea of high mountain peaks of tn
Kashmir border Due west lies ''tht
Roof of the World" the famous Pamil
region; and from the Pamirs the Tiar
Shan range and its connecting links
to the Altai mountains sweep off tt
the northeast separating the country
from Russian Asia. Inside this major
barrier the Tian Shans curve round
enfolding Chinese Turkestan on the
north and almost completely walling
it round with rim of the worlds
iOItleSt mountains.
1t is only in the East that an open
ing exists to Chinese Turkestan. and
that is across extensive desert regions.
dotted with low mountains. which ex-
tend off to China proper. Geography,
then, has conspired to make this re-
gion a Chinese province, by effectual-
ly fencing it from the rest of the world
and by facing its one door toward
China and this in spite of the fact
that the great majority of its inhab-
itants are not and never have been
Chinese.
Chinese Turkestan is roughly 600
miles wide, north and south. and
more than 1000 miles long,
east and west. Inside the mountain
walls the land slopes rapidly down to
what seems very low, level plain
which constitutes more than half OF
the $4,000 square miles of the coun-
-ry. Although more than 10000 feet |
over than the highest peaks that tow
sr over it, this plain is still several
thousand feet above sea level Even |
he Lop Nor, the salt marsh-lake into
which the greater part of the drain
lge Of Chinese Turkestan finds it's
way, lies 2,675 feet above the sea.
Two hundred miles north of the Lop
lor is small Asiatic Death Valley"
30 feet below sea level. Mus Tagh
Ata, highest of the country's peaks,
caches height of "a, 400 feet; so that
here is a vertical range of more than
our and half miles.
Much of II Is Desert.
The snow-clad mountains of the
amir region and the Tian Shans send
own great quantities of water which
orms the Tarim river, Chinese Tur-
estan's one great drainage system.
in the southwest this river
ows near the western and northern
IN of the great plain, picking up adj
itional streams and torrents in it's
rOgress, and finally empties into the
op Nor near the eastern edge of the
,untry. The heart of Chinese Turke-
an, within the arc of the Tarim, is
great sdesolate desert, the Takla
akan, uninhabitabe and seldom /
snetrated Since the beginning Of
story important towns have existed t
ong the northern and western rim ,
the country-through which con- |
ct with the East is maintained t
nong the more important Of these {
e some we'll known by name even to +
ose unfamiliar with Chinese Turke- \
an such as Yarkand, Kashgar and !
lsu. n
On the south side Of the Takla s
akan desert numerous streams flow 5
1m the great Tibetan mountain s
mpart Most of these streams never u
ter the Tarim drainage system, but 4
re themselves in the desert. One, Il
: Khotan river. reaches the Tarim II
times of flood. but at other seasons
mes to an end in the greedy sands n
ny miles short of the big river, AS If
the northern and western rims of Y
desert, GASES dot the southern rim, m
'ir lands irrigated from the many er
all streams that flow from the W
unfains on the border of Tibet. In hi
$ southern group Of cases, Khotan n,
the most important and the most ST
nous city.
he great majority of the inhabit- in
s of Chinese Turkestan are a mix m,
= of Aryans and central Asiatic II
ks. The country is simply con- Al
red province Of China and there
only enough Chinese to hold the al,
It important official positions, 10 KIN
-iSon the chief cities. and to con- DIN
certain lines of trade. Although th,
Chinese have been in control Off ma
on for many centuries the people WI
. never adopted the Chinese tongue toc
have the officials learned the thf
'tai Turkish language most gen Gle
~ spoken All Chinese offici:.s eio
provided with interpreters. ito,
} the Chinese. East Turkestan Is isb
lang. or 1.-THE New Province" TIL,
e which advertises the westward gio
nsion Of Chinese conquest many Gu,
lries ago. Sinkiang embraces also yisi
division Sungaria, just north of am,
csc Turkestan. The governor of ron
entire province. the "Futai," has ver,
apital at Urumchi love