Snow in China

"Oh, no, snow again in our Kentucky forecast!" This literary journey into the high mountains of Tibet and China will prepare me for the snow again.  Let's go to "a country where three empires meet: India, China, and Russia," p. 319, "On the World's Highest Plateaus: Through an Asiatic No Man's Land to the Desert of Ancient Cathay," National Geographic Magazine, March, 1931, Hellmut de Terra.  Our expedition will go to Chinese Turkestan.  "It is the most rugged and desolate alpine region known to man, a country where grim mountain ranges 26,000 feet high look down on barren, storm-bitten plateaus on which no human being has ever dared to settle" (p. 319).  FYI: Cathay was the name for ancient China.

The party started in the 110 degree heat of Bombay, India.  When they reached Tibet they were welcomed by "a terrific snowstorm, which completely enveloped our party" (p. 322).  Welcome to the Top of the World!  Here again, communities of Tibetan monks are found, the most important of which was at Himis.

"In the course of some geological field work near Himis, we discovered plant shales, which indicate that some 65,000,000 years ago the northern portion of the Himalayas was covered by swamp forests, long before the mountain-making processes which finally resulted in the world's grandest mountain structure had begun" (p. 328).

"Near Tankse, a hamleet dominated by a fine old monastery, we came upon traces of earliest Christianity.  Here rock inscriptions bear witness to a settlement of Christians which existed around A.D. 800, evidently a mission station" (p. 331).

They camped on a mountain lake, Pangong, and chose the animals to transport their supplies north: 75 sheep (no typo - seventy-five sheep!!), 40 yaks, and seven ponies.  The animals carried "sufficient food and grain to provision 14 people" (p. 332) for three months.

The goal of this expedition was to obtain scientific specimens - "plants, fossils, and rock specimens, or sometimes even animals" (p. 341).

Their journey was extremely difficult due to the remote, untraveled condition of the mountains.  Almost half of their yaks died and their horses ran away.  One of their shepherds developed pneumonia and died.  At one point in the desert, due to lack of pack animals, they packed up some of their equipment, securely covered it with tents and rocks, and abandoned it.  Shortly after that, their water was used up, the next river was dry, and the entire party, men and animals, went 36 hours without water.  That resulted in the deaths of nine more yaks.

After 70 days of isolation, the expedition reached Chinese Turkestan; the height of the frontier pass was 16,505 feet. They were thrilled to find a settlement of Kirghiz nomads.  The group was cordially welcomed by the Kirghiz leader and followed him "to the largest tent, where a crowd of women and children cast curious glances at the dirty, bearded Europeans" (p. 348).

Many races are to be found in this area of China.  "The peoples and cultures of China, India, Tibet, Persia, Turkey, and Russia have intermixed with the indigenous tribes of Chinese Turkestan, and traces of all of them are to be found in the present-day inhabitants" (p. 355).  FYI: in 1931, India was ruled by the British.

"This westernmost territory of China seems only slightly touched by the rapid development which has enabled neighboring countries, such as India and Russian Turkestan, to outgrow some of their primitive standards."  There was no industry and no higher educatiion.  "At Kashger, the Chinese governor received us cordially and promised his help in carrying out our future plans" (p. 357).

Yes, in 1931, these Chinese natives seemed to be a primitive people but "Hospitality is a cardinal virtue among the Kirghiz.  The homes of even the poorest of these nomads are ever open to the peaceably disposed traveler.  Their yurts (dwellings) are warm and waterproof and are often furnished inside with fine old rugs and soft, warm felts" (p. 362).

Thereafter, the large expedition divided and set out, one party to explore the desert and the author trekking through more mountains.  He found "grazing grounds of the almost forgotten race which 2,000 years ago ruled over central Asia" (p. 362). The red-haired tribe, the Pathpuluks, lived in caves or stone huts; they lived by hunting and sheep-raising.  Mr. de Terra went hunting with them for ibex (large, long-horned mountain goats), successfully, and found them so poor they would dig out the bullet from their catch in order to re-use it.  The expedition was rewarded when several weeks later the tribe led them to a cave with ancient inscriptions on its walls, thought to be the work of a vanished race.

The desert party found ruins of Buddhist shrines dating from the third century A.D.  Through this discovery "new light had been cast on the distribution of Greek-Buddhistic culture in central Asia" (p. 367).  Back in India after the author's 3,000 miles journey, he remarked, "The first motor car which I met, in the Sind Valley, near Srinagar, brought me with a sudden jump back to an age from whose spirit I had for so long a time been completely removed" (p. 367).  And he had relief from the deep mountain snow!

From of my house after a Kentucky 'snowstorm,' March, 2012.  After reading this article, I'll never again complain of our piddling snow from my well-provisioned home!