We Found, To Our Chagrin, That The Dreaded
'Fever Valley' Had Lost None Of Its Terrors.
The valley had a bad name in
Marco Polo's day, in the thirteenth century, and its reputation has clung
to it ever since, with all the tenacity of Chinese traditions.
The
Chinaman of the district crosses the valley daily without fear, but the
Chinaman from a distance knows that he will either die or his wife will
prove unfaithful. If he is compelled to go, the usual course is to write
to his wife and tell her that she is free to look out for another husband.
Having made up his mind that he will die, I have no doubt that he often
dies through sheer funk." (R. Logan JACK, Back Blocks of China, 1904, p.
205.)
L., pp. 84, 89.
CONCERNING THE PROVINCE OF ZARDANDAN.
We read in Huber's paper already mentioned (Bul. Ecole Ext. Orient,
Oct.-Dec., 1909, p. 665): "The second month of the twelfth year (1275), Ho
T'ien-tsio, governor of the Kien Ning District, sent the following
information: 'A-kouo of the Zerdandan tribe, knows three roads to enter
Burma, one by T'ien pu ma, another by the P'iao tien, and the third by the
very country of A-kouo; the three roads meet at the 'City of the Head of
the River' [Kaung si] in Burma." A-kouo, named elsewhere A-ho, lived at
Kan-ngai. According to Huber, the Zardandan road is the actual caravan
road to Bhamo on the left of the Nam Ti and Ta Ping; the second route
would be by the Tien ma pass and Nam hkam, the P'iao tien route is the
road on the right bank of the Nam Ti and the Ta Ping leading to Bhamo
via San Ta and Man Waing.
Enter page number
PreviousNext
Page 1258 of 1350
Words from 345347 to 345648
of 370046
