THE SI-KIANG BASIN.—The four provinces of Yunnan, Kweichow, Kwangsi, and Kwangtung may be considered as forming the basin of the Si-kiang, although the north of Yunnan and Kweichow is drained to the Yangtse, the south of Yunnan to the Red River of Tongking, and the west to the Mekong and the Salwen. The whole region is mountainous in character ; in the west the ranges run from north to south but further east their trend is from north-east to south-west. The different provinces may be regarded as so many steps downward from the Tibetan tableland to the Pacific Ocean.
Yunnan, which is the first step, is a plateau with an average eleva tion of about 7,000 feet ; it slopes towards the south and east, but is much cut up by mountain ranges which enclose the high plains upon which the majority of the inhabitants live, the valleys in the west and south being generally too unhealthy for settlement.
Kweichow, which is the second step downwards, has a height varying from about 5,000 feet in the west to less than 3,000 feet in the east, and like Yunnan is much cut up by mountain ranges which enclose high plains. Kwangsi, which is the third step, is considerably lower than Kweichow, the average height of the mountains being from 2,000 to 3,000 feet. In Kwangtung the land gradually descends to the delta of the Si-kiang.
Throughout the whole region rice is the staple crop, but in many of the upland districts wheat, barley, and beans are cultivated, while maize is grown in Kweichow and Kwangsi and in the lowland valleys of Yunnan. Opium has hitherto been an important crop in Yunnan and Kweichow, but in both provinces the amount pro duced is rapidly decreasing. Tea is grown to some extent in Yunnan and Kwangtung, but, while the product of Yunnan is still sought after, that of Kwangtung is now of little account in the world's markets, and Canton has practically entirely lost the tea trade for which it was once so famous. Wild silk is obtained in Yunnan, and in Kwangtung the mulberry is cultivated, but the silk produced is inferior in quality to that from Kwangsi and Chekiang. Among other products may be mentioned cotton, which is grown but not to a great extent, ramie, cassia, and spices.
The mineral wealth of the region, has as yet been exploited only in a superficial way. Coal is widely distributed, the best known mines being those of Shaochow-fu in Kwangtung, and iron, copper, lead, zinc, as well as gold and silver, are also found in various places. Tin is worked on an extensive scale, but by native methods, at Kochiu, near Mengtze in Yunnan, where between 50,000 and 100,000 men are employed, according to the season of the year. Quick
silver is obtained in Kweichow and antimony in Yunnan. Attempts have been made to open up the mineral wealth of the country by foreign capital and on modern lines, but so far they do not appear to have met with much success.
The manufactures of the region, which are not of great importance except in Kwangtung, include the production of silk and cotton goods, the preparation of tea, paper-making, and a few other indus tries of a similar nature. Canton, and Fatshan a little further up the West River, are great industrial centres and manufacture cotton, silk, and woollen goods, lacquer-ware, matting, and a great variety of articles of minor importance.
The Si-kiang with its tributaries is the great means of communi cation in the region which it drains. During periods of high water the main stream is navigable by steamers as far as Wuchow, on the borders of Kwangsi, but at other seasons of the year only smaller boats can get as far as that town. Hence there has been a great development of the use of motor boats both on the main river and on its tributaries, and by means of these not only Kwangtung and Kwangsi, but to some extent the south of Kweichow and the east of Yunnan, are enabled to trade with Canton. That city is situated on the West River, a distributary of the Si-kiang, and owes its importance as a commercial centre to its position. It is connected by waterways with almost every part of the fertile and well populated province of Kwangtung, and has trade relations, not only with the remainder of the basin of the Si-kiang, but with that of the Yangtse. On the other hand, it is in easy communication with Hong-Kong, and large ocean-going steamers are able to ascend the river as far as Whampoa, twelve miles below the city. Railways are beginning to move outwards in different directions. One line connects Canton with Kowloon, opposite the island of Hong Kong ; another runs to Samshui, at the confluence of the North River with the Si-kiang, while the railway to Hankow has been completed as far as Lin Kong Hou, 75 miles from Canton. At the same time the importance of Canton has been adversely affected to some extent by the opening to foreign trade within recent years of Wuchow, which is now the entrepot of Kwangsi, of Samshui, which taps the trade of the North River, and of Kongmoon, which serves the district north and west of Macao. Nevertheless, Canton continues to prosper, largely as a result of the efforts of its inhabitants who are among the most energetic and industrious people in China.