"Eighty-five li beyond
Lan-ki hien is Lung-yin, a place not mentioned by Polo, and another
ninety-five li still further on is Chuechau or Keuchau, which is, I
think, the Gie-za of Ramusio, and the Cuju of Yule's version. Polo
describes it as the last city of the government of Kinsai (Che-kiang) in
this direction. It is the last Prefectural city, but ninety li beyond
Chue-chau, on the road to Pu-cheng, is Kiang-shan, a district city which
is the last one in this direction. Twenty li from Kiang-shan is Ching-hu,
the head of the navigation of the T'sien-T'ang river. Here one hires chairs
and coolies for the journey over the Sien-hia Pass to Pu-cheng, a distance
of 215 li. From Pu-cheng, Fu-chau can be reached by water in 4 or 5 days.
The distance is 780 li." - H.C.]
[1] "Est sus un mont que parte le Flum, gue le une moitie ala en sus e
l'autre moitie en jus" (G.T.).
[2] One of the Hien, forming the special districts of Hang-Chau itself,
now called Tsien-tang, was formerly called Tang-wei-tang. But it
embraces the eastern part of the district, and can, I think, have
nothing to do with Tanpiju. (See Biot, p. 257, and Chin. Repos.
for February, 1842, p. 109.)
CHAPTER LXXX.
CONCERNING THE KINGDOM OF FUJU.
On leaving Cuju, which is the last city of the kingdom of Kinsay, you
enter the kingdom of FUJU, and travel six days in a south-easterly
direction through a country of mountains and valleys, in which are a
number of towns and villages with great plenty of victuals and abundance
of game. Lions, great and strong, are also very numerous. The country
produces ginger and galingale in immense quantities, insomuch that for a
Venice groat you may buy fourscore pounds of good fine-flavoured ginger.
They have also a kind of fruit resembling saffron, and which serves the
purpose of saffron just as well.[NOTE 1]
And you must know the people eat all manner of unclean things, even the
flesh of a man, provided he has not died a natural death. So they look out
for the bodies of those that have been put to death and eat their flesh,
which they consider excellent.[NOTE 2]
Those who go to war in those parts do as I am going to tell you. They
shave the hair off the forehead and cause it to be painted in blue like
the blade of a glaive. They all go afoot except the chief; they carry
spears and swords, and are the most savage people in the world, for they
go about constantly killing people, whose blood they drink, and then
devour the bodies.[NOTE 3]
Now I will quit this and speak of other matters. You must know then that
after going three days out of the six that I told you of you come to the
city of KELINFU, a very great and noble city, belonging to the Great Kaan.
This city hath three stone bridges which are among the finest and best in
the world.
