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TOPOGRAPHY. 127
tombs of the ancestors of the imperial family, access to which is forbidden under
pain of death. Till 1804 the reigning emperors never failed to make a pilgrimage
to the sacred city of their dynasty but since then the ; " "
holy face
(the portrait
of the Emperor) is sent every ten years to Mukden with much pomp and ceremony.
South of Mukden the seaward route traverses a thickly peopled district, in
which large towns such as Liaoyang, Hdichung, Niuchwang, and Tienchwang follow
in quick succession. The two last mentioned have been succeeded as ports of the
Liao-he River by Yinkoa, or Yingtze, which lies 26 miles south-west of Niuchwang.
Although ice-bound for four or five months in the year, the trade of this place has
rapidly increased since it has been made a treaty port. It exports chiefly cotton,
raw silk, hemp, pea oil, and coal to a total yearly value of about 2,250,000.
The whole of South Manchuria abounds in coal, and the mines in the hills
south-east of Mukden already supply the towns and metal works of the surround-
ing districts. It is also used by the steamers plying in the Yellow Sea, and is said
to be superior to that of Japan, and equal to the best Cardiff.
On the west coast of the peninsula projecting seawards between the Gulfs of
Liaotung and Korea are several towns and ports,
of which Ka'ichew and Kinchew
are the most important. On the side facing the Yellow Sea the chief place is
Tayang-ho, at the mouth of the river of like name on the Korean frontier. This
river is navigable by light craft for 12 miles to the busy town of Taku-9/um, which
is the outlet for the trade both of Siuyen, an old Manchu capital famous for its
marble quarries, and of Fungwang-shan, the frontier bulwark towards Korea. In
the latter place the mandarins of the two states meet to exchange the presents
sent by their respective sovereigns.
West of the Liao-he the narrow strip of land between the west frontier and the
coast contains several trading-places and other towns, of which the most important
are Singminton, on the route from Mukden to Peking ; Faku-nn'n, on the East Gobi
frontier ; Kwangning, at the foot of the mountains to which it has given its name ;
Kinyc/icic-fu, 12 miles from the north-west corner of the Gulf of Liaotung, impor-
tant as a great outlet for the produce of Manchuria towards China; Ningyuen,
42 miles farther south ; lastly, Shanghai-lncan , the largest in this region, on the Chinese
frontier at the eastern extremity of the Great Wall, consisting
of three distinct
quarters separated from each other by walls and gates. The inner town, occupied
with trade, is the most populous ; the eastern comprises the military and adminis-
trative departments; while Xinghai, lying on the west side, is occupied chiefly by
Chinese immigrants. All three are enclosed in a common half-decayed cincture
connected southwards with the Great Wall, and stretching some -3 miles along the
coast, where it is commanded by a citadel. A little temple near a breach in the
wall commemorates a legend which illustrates the sufferings of the unfortunate
wretches engaged by the Emperor Tsin on the construction of these ramparts. A
woman, finding the body of her husband amongst those who had perished
of their
hardships, dashed her head against the wall, which immediately fell, burying her
by the side of her partner in sorrows. "This woman is venerated," says an
inscription on the temple, " but- the Emperor Tsin is for ever execrated."