Tarini

Problems of Climatic History.

The present-day climate of the Tarim basin is discussed in the article on Sin-kiang (q.v.), but the problems of its possible changes of climate in the past have been the subject of much investigation during recent years. The expeditions into the Tarim basin which have been undertaken by Sir Aurel Stein and Dr. Sven Hedin have resulted in a great mass of evidence bearing on the problem. This evi dence has been interpreted by various authorities, who have each put forward a theory to explain the facts reported by the ex plorers. The problem is connected with the supposed "desicca tion" of Central Asia. (See ASIA, Archaeology.) Great .changes have about in the Tarim basin during the last two thousand years. Settlements have been abandoned and fresh ones made ; some regions, once prosperous, are now deserted and are quite uninhabitable ; rivers have forsaken their old beds, and other rivers do not extend as far as they once did, while the lakes in the centre of the basin appear to be shrinking in size.

Historical Geography.

The Tarim basin lies on a highway of the nations; the main routes through it being in an east-west direction, the northern route along the southern foot of the Tien-shan and the southern one along the northern foot of the Kunlun. Both unite at Kashgar, whence the route leads over the Pamirs to the trans-Caspian lowlands.

The region has always been one having an essentially "cor ridor" nature. There is not, and never has been, sufficient atmospheric moisture or subterranean water supplies to support a large agricultural population. The narrow belts of riverine jungle could never, within historic times, have afforded the possibility of nomadic existence to-any but quite insignificant communities, such as the present Dolans on the Yarkand river. This point is very important, for it explains why the great nomadic tribes of the Wu-sun, Sakas, Yueh-chih, Huns, Turks and Mongols were always ready -to raid, or to make tributary, the oases of the Tarim, but never crossed the Tien-shan, permanently to occupy the basin. Nature has denied grazing grounds to the Tarim, and has thus protected it against ever becoming the scene of great migratory movements and the upheavals which accompany them. Within the basin itself, the only basis of life was painstaking agriculture, possible only by means of irrigation. This mode of life did not appeal to the neighbouring nomads; the plateaux of the Tien-shan or the Mongolian steppes were more suitable for them. Because of these conditions, we find each great wave of

Central Asian migration moving along the northern foot of the Tien-shan, or even further north.

Modern Economic Conditions in the Tarim Basin.—The potential wealth of the Tarim basin is as yet untouched by modern developments. Hitherto its commercial importance as a highway has benefited those people who used the highway. Be yond the protection afforded at times by Chinese troops, and the benefits of an effective administration, which the region enjoyed when Chinese authority was sufficiently strong to assert itself, the native oasis dwellers have not prospered overmuch from the advantages which their land offers to neighbouring peoples as an easy trade route between East and West.

The fertile "loess" which composes much of the western part of the basin is eminently suitable for cultivation. The total amount of land under cultivation could be increased if a scien tific system of irrigation were developed by the Chinese adminis trators. The chief obstacle to wider 'cultivation of the oases is found in the people themselves. They are mostly Turki, engaged in either agriculture or commerce, and, although they do not resent foreign interference, they show no desire to enlarge their commercial and agricultural enterprises. The attitude of the Chinese in the matter of foreign exploitation of the Tarim basin is very discouraging. Foreign capital is needed to develop the resources of the country, and the Chinese are not anxious to admit this, owing to their dread of alien domination.

The products are chiefly grain of all kinds, wool, cotton and silk. Khotan is the centre of the silk industry, and also the centre of valuable jade deposits. Agriculture is the most im portant and widespread industry. The natives depend on it for their existence, as foodstuffs are not imported from the neigh bouring States. The 'cotton and jute industries could be turned into a flourishing trade if properly exploited, both products being of excellent quality. Soil, labour and material are there to co operate in the development of these industries.

The political disturbances in the Tarim basin during the last century and the recent upheavals in China itself have been re sponsible to a large extent for the commercial apathy prevailing in East Turkistan. (See also SIN KIANG, KASHGAR, KHOTAN, YARKAND, LOP-NOR, and for bibliography see Asm.)