Tabl.
Historiques, p. 182; Proc. R. G. S. XVI. 243.)
[Dutreuil de Rhins and Grenard took the road from Khotan to Charchan; they
left Khotan on the 4th May, 1893, passed Kiria, Nia, and instead of going
direct to Charchan through the desert, they passed Kara Say at the foot of
the Altyn tagh, a route three days longer than the other, but one which
was less warm, and where water, meat, milk, and barley could be found.
Having passed Kapa, they crossed the Karamuren, and went up from Achan due
north to Charchan, where they stayed three months. Nowhere do they mention
Pein, or Pima, for it appears to be Kiria itself, which is the only real
town between Khotan and the Lobnor. Grenard says in a note (p. 54, vol.
ii.): "Pi-mo (Keria) recalls the Tibetan bye-ma, which is pronounced
Pema, or Tchema, and which means sand. Such is perhaps also the
origin of Pialma, a village near Khotan, and of the old name of
Charchan, Tche-mo-to-na, of which the two last syllables would represent
grong (pronounce tong = town), or kr'om (t'om = bazaar). Now, not
only would this etymology be justified because these three places are
indeed surrounded with sand remarkably deep, but as they were the first
three important places with which the Tibetans met coming into the desert
of Gobi, either by the route of Gurgutluk and of Polor, or by Karakoram
and Sandju, or by Tsadam, and they had thus as good a pretext to call them
'towns of sand' as the Chinese had to give to T'un-hwang the name of
Shachau, viz.
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