White Bluffs spokesman. [volume] (White Bluffs, Wash.) 1907-1938, 1931-08-27

prepared by the National Geographic
Society. Washington D. CO.
TOOCHOW, which once ranked
X among the tea ports of the world
III and then, two decades ago, bowed
to Ceylon and Japan, is staging
comeback.
The steep slopes of Fukien province,
of which Foochow is capital and
leading city, again are covered with
thriving tea bushes; big-hatted men,
women and children throng the
plantations, picking tea leaves from
dawn to dusk; tea-laden porters form
an almost endless parade from the
plantation to the tea warehouses, and
boats on the Min piled with packages
of tea recall the days when Yankee
clipper ships cleared Foochow with
cargoes Of fragrant leaves, destined to
American teapots.
Foochow port is really not in the
city's suburbs. The nearest gate in
the city's five-mile, vine-clad wall is
more than three miles from the north
bank of the Min, about "a miles from
the sea.
Few travellers visit Foochow. To
reach the port, one must 60 by boat,
for railroads and good roads are not
to be found in this region. Ocean
going vessels from Shanghai and Hong
Kong make regular trips up the Min
which penetrates the Chinese coast
opposite the north end Of Taiwan
(Formosa). The vessels may steam
up the river as far as Pagoda Anchor
age. There passengers are trans
ferred to launches which, after nine
miles Of lodging matting-covered sam
pans and grotesquely carved, high
popped junks, deposit their human
cargo at the city's suburban docks. If
one wants to Ego native" however, he
may board native boat with the own
ers' family, fowls, dogs and pigs and
travel in the unwesternized atmos-
phere of the Min.
The rivers obstruction at Pagoda
Anchorage is artificial, formed when
stone-laden barges were sunk there
to prevent a French fleet from reach
ing the city during the Franco-Foo-
chow troubles in 1884. 1t is the char
acteristic of the Chinese love for
things as they are that Foochow bust
ness men have waited so long to take
steps to clear the channel and thus
avoid the endless annoyance Of re-
loading Of cargoes.
From River to City.
The journey from the river to the
city may be made by bus, jinrikisha
or sedan chair. Frequently travellers
prefer to be landed on the south side
of the river where they get glimpse
chow-the foreign settlement. On a
small hill are foreign consulates,
western churches hospitals and hand.
some residences which constitute a
community almost independent of the
Chinese city, while below is bust
ness district with streets lined with
foreign and native-owned shops where
eastern and western merchandise is
on display. Commodious clubs, wide
sweeps of grassy lawns dotted with
Towering gardens, race track, tennis
courts and pleasure craft on the Min
tend to keep the small foreign popula-
tion contented.
The visitor should not hurry into
Foochow proper, even If he could, for
to do so would be to miss the physical
beauties and tabled history that ac-
centuate each step of the journey
ha %o
the Min one may see pearl divers.
Should diver be drowned his fellows
stoically conclude that he has fallen
victim to the sea-turtle Chinese equiv
alent for the legendary sea-serpent Of
the West.
Near Pagoda Anchorage rises Sharp
peak, capped by tower built by
wife to welcome home an oriental
Enoch Arden who, when he saw 1t,
thought he had mistaken the river, and
sailed away again, never to return. A
mandarin's footprint in rock COM
memorates the summary punishment
of uuarrymen who kept right on chop
ping away it's companion footprint, de-
spite the flow of blood that spurted
out at each stroke. When removed
to a place in a bridge 1t registered a
protest by kicking its bearers into the
river, so the companion was not mo-
Tested
Inside the Foochow wall few mod
ern schools and government buildings
have punctuated an otherwise low. flat
sky line of rather dingy buildings.
Telegraph keys click in telegraph Of
fees. electric lights are available to
those who can afford them, few au-
fomObiles NAV he seen on the main