This part of the Empire might be called the ethnological garden
of tribes and various races in various stages of uncivilization. These
secluded mountain areas, their unaltered conditions still telling forth
the story of the world's youth, have been the cradle and the death-bed
of nations, of vigorous and ambitious tribes bent on conquest and a
career of glory.
THE MIAO
Of the Miao, with its various sections, we know a good deal. Their real
home has been pretty finally decided to be in Kwei-chow province, and
they probably in former times extended far into Hu-nan, the Chinese of
these provinces at the present time having undoubtedly a good deal of
Miao blood in their veins. They are comparatively recent arrivals in
Yuen-nan, but are gradually extending farther and farther to the west,
maintaining their language and their dress and customs. I personally
found them as far west as thirty miles beyond Tali-fu, a little off the
main road, but Major Davies found them far up on the Tibetan border. He
says: "The most westerly point that I have come across them is the
neighborhood of Tawnio (lat. 23 deg. 40', long. 98 deg. 45'). Through Central
and Northern Yuen-nan they do not seem to exist, but they reappear again
to the north of this in Western Szech'wan, where there are a few
villages in the basin of the Yalung River (lat.
Pages:
155
156
157
158
159
160
161
162
163
164
165
166
167
168
169
170
171
172
173
174
175
176
177
178
179