- "He
Is Said To Have Introduced Many Useful Plants From Western Asia Into China.
Ancient Chinese Authors Ascribe To Him
The introduction of the Vine, the
Pomegranate, Safflower, the Common Bean, the Cucumber, Lucerne, Coriander,
the Walnut-tree, and other
Plants." - H.C.] The river that flows down from
Shan-si by Cheng-ting-fu is called "Putu-ho, or the Grape River." (J. As.
u.s.; Richthofen, u.s.)
[Regarding the name of this river, the Rev. C. Holcombe (l.c. p. 56)
writes: "Williamson states in his Journeys in North China that the name
of this stream is, properly Poo-too Ho - 'Grape River,' but is sometimes
written Hu-t'ou River incorrectly. The above named author, however, is
himself in error, the name given above [Hu-t'o] being invariably found in
all Chinese authorities, as well as being the name by which the stream is
known all along its course."
West of the Fan River, along the western border of the Central Plain of
Shan-si, in the extreme northern point of which lies T'ai-yuan fu, the Rev.
C. Holcombe says (p. 61), "is a large area, close under the hills, almost
exclusively given up to the cultivation of the grape. The grapes are
unusually large, and of delicious flavour." - H.C.]
NOTE 4. - +In no part of China probably, says Richthofen, do the towns and
villages consist of houses so substantial and costly as in this. Pianfu is
undoubtedly, as Magaillans again notices, P'ING-YANG FU.[3] It is the
Bikan of Shah Rukh's ambassadors. [Old P'ing yang, 5 Lis to the south]
is said to have been the residence of the primitive and mythical Chinese
Emperor Yao. A great college for the education of the Mongols was
instituted at P'ing-yang, by Yeliu Chutsai, the enlightened minister of
Okkodai Khan. [Its dialect differs from the T'ai-yuan dialect, and is more
like Pekingese.] The city, lying in a broad valley covered with the yellow
loess, was destroyed by the T'ai-P'ing rebels, but it is reviving. [It is
known for its black pottery.] The vicinity is noted for large paper
factories. ["From T'ai-yuan fu to P'ing-yang fu is a journey of 185 miles,
down the valley of the Fuen-ho." (Colonel Bell, Proc.R.G.S. XII. 1890, p.
61.) By the way, Mr. Rockhill remarks (Land of the Lamas, p. 10):
"Richthofen has transcribed the name of this river Fuen. This spelling
has been adopted on most of the recent maps, both German and English, but
Fuen is an impossible sound in Chinese." (Read Fen ho.) - H.C.]
(Cathay, ccxi.; Ritter, IV. 516; D'Ohsson, II. 70; Williamson, I.
336.)
[1] And I see Ritter understood the passage as I do (IV. 515).
[2] Baligh is indeed properly Mongol.
[3] It seems to be called Piyingfu (miswritten Piyingku) in Mr. Shaw's
Itinerary from Yarkand (Pr.R.G.S. XVI. 253.) We often find the
Western modifications of Chinese names very persistent.
CHAPTER XXXVIII.
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