Page:Catholic Encyclopedia, volume 3.djvu/744

 CHINA

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CHINA

ocean to I-ch'ang and semi-navigable, on account of the rapids, from I-ch'ang to P'ing-shan-hien. In the province of Sze-ch'wan its tributaries, on the left, are the Ya-lung-kiang, the Min-kiang (Ch'eng-tu River), and the Kia-ling-kiang; on the right the Ho-kiang ami the Wu-kiang; in~Hu-pe it receives on the left the Han-kiang; in Kiang-su it crosses the Grand Canal; near its mouth it receives the Hwang-pu or Shanghai River; at its estuary it is divided into tun branches by Chung-ming Island; it waters the cities of Chin-kiang, Nan-king. Wu-hu, Ngan-king, Kiu-kiang. Han-kou, I-ch'ang, Ch'ung-k'ing, Sui-fu, and P'ing-shan.

Mention should be made of the following rivers: north of the Yang-tze the Liao-ho which rises in the Great K'ingan, north-east of Dolon-nor, and waters Southern Manchuria; the Pei-ho (Hai-ho) which flows through T'ien-tsin; at its mouth is Taku, formerly with forts at the entrance; the Hwang-ho (Yellow River) or simply the Ho, which is nearly as long as the Yang-tze, and is the scourge of China on account of its floods ; in its middle course it forms a large bend, where it runs down between the provinces of Shen-si ami Shan-si, encircling regions of the Ordos country; it receives on the right, its principal tributary, the large river Wei, and on the left the Fen-ho; at one time it ran into the Y'ellow Sea, south of the Shan- tung Peninsula, but now it follows the course of the Ts'i-ho and runs north of the peninsula; the basin of the Ho is considered the cradle of China.

South of the Y'ang-tze are: the Ts'ien-tang-kiang; the Hang-chou River, celebrated on account of its bore; the Min-kiang. formed by the Kien-k'i. the Shao-wu-k'i, and the Ning-hwa-k'i; the Fu-chou River. The Si-kiang (West River) from Yun-nan re- ceives on the right the Yu-kiang, already increased by the influx of the Tso-kiang, the Nan-ning River; on the left the Liu-kiang, the Kwei-kiang, the Pei (North) kiang; just this side of Chao-k'ing-fu, the Si- kiang divides into a number of branches; the north branch which waters Canton is called Chu-kiang or Pearl River and flows into the sea through the Hu-men, called also the Bocca Tigris or the Bogue, into which also empties from the east the Tung-kiang. The Grand or Imperial Canal, called the Yu-ho or Yun-ho, was begun, it is said, during the sixth century b. C, and was finished only in A. D. 1283 under the Mongol dynasty; it runs from T'ien-tsin to Hang-chou, cross- ing the Yang-tze at Chin-kiang and is the water- course of the Great Plain.

Lakes. — The chief lakes are the T'ung-ting in the Hu-nan province and the P'o-yang in Kiang-si, both south of the Yang-tze; the former fed by the Siang, Yuan, and Su, connects with the Yang-tze by the Yo-chou Canal; the latter is fed by the Kan-kiang. Mention should also be made of the Ta-hu near Su- chou i Kiang-su), and the Si-hu, near Hang-chou (( 'he-kiang).

Mountains. — The two chief mountain ranges of China, offshoots of the highlands of Tibet, are the Eastern Kwen-lun and the Nan-shan. The Eastern Kwen-lun include the A-la-shan and the Kan-su mountains; the Ts'in-ling, between the Hwang-ho and the Yang-tze; the Min-shan, and the Kiu-lung. The Nan-shan or Nan-ling extend from Yun-nan, Kwei-chou, and Kwang-si, between the Yang-tze

and the Si-kiang, to Kwang-tung and Fu-kien, their last spurs appearing in the Chusan Archipelago. Mention should also be made of the O-mi-shan, i.e. Mount O-mi (in Sze-ch'wan), the Wu-t'ai-shan (north Shan-si), and the Dokerla, near Aten-tze, all cele- brated pilgrim resorts. The I ireal Plain of China ex- tends from T'ien-tsin to Hang-chou, forming part of the provinces of Chi-li, Ho-nan, Ngan-hwei. Kjang-su, and western Shan-tung; it may be considered the valley of the Grand Canal. A certain deposit called loess or huany-t'u (yellow earth) covers a great part

of Kan-su, Shen-si and particularly Shan-si; this ter- tiary formation is characterized by its tendency to split vertically and by the numerous clefts caused by erosion; the caves in this deposit are easily deepened and often serve as dwellings for the inhabitants; it is exceedingly fertile, for which reason the Shan- j province has been called the "granary of the em- pire".

Political Geography.— The territorial divisions cf the Chinese Empire have varied greatly at different times. Under the Emperor Yu the Great and the Hia dynasty, the capital was Yang-hia (in Ho-nan), and China was divided into nine chou: K'e, Ts'ing, Yen, Su, Y'u, Yung, Leang, King, and Yang. Under the Shang, the capital was Po, near modern Kwei- te-fu (Ho-nan), and the division remained the same. Under the Chou (1122-660 B.C.) the capitals were successively Hao (Ch'ang-ngan) and Lo-yang (781 B. c), and there were still nine chou: Y'ou, Ping, Yen, Ch'ing, Ch'e, Y'ung, Y r u, Ching, Y'ang. During the period covered by the "Spring and Autumn Annals" of Confucius (781-519 b. c.) the capital was Lo- yang, and there were the following kingdoms: Chou (1122-249), Loo (1121-248), Wei (1077-413), Ts'ai (1106-446), Tsin (1106-376), Ts'aou (1051-486), Ch'eng (805-374), Woo (1290-472), Y'en (863-221), Ch'en (853-478), Sung (1077-285), Ts'e (1076-220), Ts'u (1077-222), Ts'in (90S-245). Under the Ts'in dynasty (220-204 b. c.) China was divided into 36 kiun. Under the Han dynasty (206 b. c.-a. d. 25) the capital was Ch'ang-ngan; there were 103 principali- ties, 241 marquisates, 32 too or provinces, 1314 Men. Under the Eastern Han dynasty (a. d. 25-220). there were 13 chou and the capital was Lo-yang. The capitals of China were in turn or at the same time Lo-yang (Wei dynasty), Ch'eng-tu (Shu of Sze- ch'wan), Kien-kang, or Nan-king (Wu), Hang-chou (Southern Sung, 420-477), Ta-tung (Northern Wei, 386-532), Ch'ang-ngan (Sui, 581-618), Lo-yang (Tang, 618-907), K'ai-feng and Hang-chou (Sung, 960-1126), Peking, called Yen-king under the Kin, and Cambaluc under the Yuan. During the Mongol period China was divided into ten sheng or provin- ces; under the Ming dynasty there were fifteen sheng, Kan-su having been taken from Shen-si, Kiang-nan being divided into Kiang-su and Ngan-hwei, and Hu-kwang into Hu-pe and Hu-nan. There are now eighteen provinces. At one time Formosa formed one province; Kiang-hwai, or Northern Kiang-su. was temporarily detached from Kiang-su (1905).

The Eighteen Provinces (SM-pa-sfu ng) consist of: — (1) Chi-li (meaning direct rule), in which is Peking (Shun-t'ien-fu), the capital of the empire. The capital is Pao-ting; principal places: Sien-hwa, Cheng-te (Shehol), Yung-p'ing, T'ien-tsin. Ho-kien, Cheng-ting; mention should also be made of Shan-hai-kwan, the most important pass through the Great Wall, Dolon- nor (Lama-miao), the old summer residence of the Mongol emperors; the population is 29,400,000. (2) Shan-tung (east of the mountain, the Heng ■! capital, Tsi-nan; principal places: Tsi-ning-chou ; Ts'ing-chou-fu, Chou-ts'un, Lai-chou, Teng-chou, the treaty port Che-fu, the British establishment Wei- hai-wei, the German port Ts'ing-tao (Kiao-chou);

the T'ai-shan is a celebrated place of pilgrimage.

Confucius and Mencius were burn in this province; population, 38,000,000.— (3) Shan-si (west of the mountain); capital, T'ai-yuan-fu; principal products, coal and iron; principal mountain. Wu-t'ai-shan; principal cities: Kuei-hua-ch'eng (also called Ku- ku-choto or blue city). Ta-tung, P'ing-yang-fu, fing-ting-chou; the population of Shan-si, Shen-si. Kan-su, Ho-nan, and Kwei-chou is estimated at 55,000,000. I) Ho-nan [smith of the river (the Bwang-ho)]; capital, K'ai-feng; near Ho-nan-fu is the sacred mountain Sung, to the west of which

is situated the Lung-men defile, whose banks arc