But New China must have this new life.

Commerce, science, diplomacy, culture, civilization she will have in ever-increasing measure just in so much as she draws nearer to western peoples.  But the new life can come from whence?  From within or from without?

Luchow, into which I was led just before noon on the fourth day out of Chung-king, is the most populous and richest city on the Upper Yangtze.

Exceedingly clean for a Chinese city, possessing well-kept streets lined with well-stocked emporiums, bearing every evidence of commercial prosperity, it however lacks one thing.  It has no hotel runners!  I arrived at midday, crossing the river in a leaky ferry boat, under a blazing sun, my intention being to stop in the town at a tea-house to take a refresher, and then complete a long day’s march, farther than the ordinary stage.  But owing to some misunderstanding between the fu-song, sent to shadow the foreigner on part of his journey, and my boy, I was led through the busy city out into the open country before I had had a drink.  And when I remonstrated they led me back again to the best inn, where I was told I should have to spend the night—­there being nothing else, then, to be said.

May I give a word of advice here to any reader contemplating a visit to China under similar conditions?  It is the custom of the mandarins to send what is called a fu-song (escort) for you; the escort comes from the military, although their peculiar appearance may lead you to doubt it.  I have two of these soldier people with me to-day, and two bigger ragamuffins it has not been my lot to cast eyes on.  They are the only two men in the crowd I am afraid of.  They are of absolutely no use, more than to eat and to drink, and always come up smiling at the end of their stage for their kumshaw.  During the whole of this day I have not seen one of them—­they have been behind the caravan all the time; it would be hard to believe that they had sense enough to find the way, and as for escorting me, they have not accompanied me a single li of the way.[I]

Another nuisance, of which I have already spoken, is the necessity of taking a chair to maintain respectability.  These things make travel in China not so cheap as one would be led to imagine.  Traveling of itself is cheap enough, as cheap as in any country in the world.  For accommodation for myself, for a room, rice and as much hot water as I want, the charge is a couple of hundred cash—­certainly not expensive.  In addition, there is generally a little “cha tsien” (tea money) for the cook.  But it is the “face” which makes away with money, much more than it takes to keep you in the luxury that the country can offer—­which is not much!

After I had had a bit of a discussion with my boy as to the room they wanted to house me in, a woman, brandishing a huge cabbage stump above her head, and looking menacingly at me, yelled that the room was good enough.