CHINA PaorEn. This is the compact, roughly quadrangular area forming the southeastern third of the empire, extending from the coast (some 2500 miles in length) westward to the lofty and crowded mountain ranges that form the eastern border of the Tibetan I'latean, and northward to the southern border of Mongolia. The only artificial houndaty is the compara tively short one between China and Tongking. The total area of China proper is estimated at about 1,500.000 square miles, or about one-third of that of the whole empire, and within this area is included all but three or four per cent. of the total population of the Chinese Empire. The whole circuit of the land frontier (about 4500 miles) consists of almost impassable mountains and deserts. which from remote antiquity have effectu ally oat off this corner of the world from inter change of people, products, and ideas with other regions. and races: from this physical isolation have arisen most of the peculiarities characteris tic of Chinese civilization and manner of The vast mountains and plateaus between China and Tibet cover a wide area, and send many spurs eastward and southward. especially into north ceittral China. where the Knelt-Inn is prolonged eastward in two lines, which diminish to hills toward the coast, hut rise again in the Shan tung Peninsula. Similarly, the Himalayas are continued the southern part of China in reduced and broken lines of elevation, and this prolongation then sweeps northward in the promi nent range which readies from Canton to Ning po. outside of which is the coast region of Fu kien. Scaithwstward of all lie the heights that form the northern backbone of Indo•China.
These primary east-and-west lines of moun tains divide China into three great valleys. The southernmost, south of the Himalayan exten sions, is that of the Si-kiang. which drains the two Kwang provinces into the sea at Macao. North of its watershed between the Ilimalayan extensions and the Central Nuemlun extensions lies the valley of the Yang-tse-kiang, which is the most densely populated, highly eulti ted. and im
portant part of the whole empire. This mighty river. exceeding 3000 miles in length. originates in ventral Tibet, and flows through hundreds of miles of self-eroded mountain valley, leading first eastward, then southward to northern Vim-non, then northeastward through the cartons of the Province of until it finally reaches the plains and traverses them to the Yellow Sea. It has many names, hut all recognize it as Ta-kiang --`great river.' As far up as Ilankow-Wn-chang (500 miles) it may be navigated by ocean steam ers: still farther, 363 miles up to 1.ehang. by smaller vessels. There the gorges begin, and fur ther navigation is by handbnats, which often must he hauled along the hank. Like all snow fed rivers. the Yang-tse-kiang is subject to sudden floods, which often amount to 50 feet as far down as Ilankow; a resultant eompensation, how ever, is the constant renewal of fertility to the flooded lands, which enables them to be incessantly cultivated by a dense population. The largest lowland tributary of the Yang-tse-kiang is the Han, which drains the interior valley of the double linen-Inn extension.
North of the watershed of the Yang-tse-kiang, oecnpying the northern quarter or third of all China, is the vast basin of the Ho-ang-ho, a river hardly inferior to the Yang-tse-kiang in size or economic importance. It also forces its way out from its lofty Tibetan birthplace through hun dreds of miles of mountain gorges, makes a long detour to the north, then flows for a great dis tance due south, after which it turns abruptly to tie east, and finally flows due northeast to the Gulf of Pe-chili. Down this vast stream come floods from the inciting of snows or from sudden storms in the mountains along its upper course; and frequently so overwhelming are the resultant inundations, in spite of marvelous works for the restraint of the waters, that thousands of lives are lost, and sometimes widespread famine fol lows the desolation of the land.