Chapter XLIV

CONCERNING THE PROVINCE AND CITY OF SINDAFU.

When you have travelled those 20 days westward through the mountains, as I have told you, then you arrive at a plain belonging to a province called Sindafu, which still is on the confines of Manzi, and the capital city of which is (also) called SINDAFU. This city was in former days a rich and noble one, and the Kings who reigned there were very great and wealthy. It is a good twenty miles in compass, but it is divided in the way that I shall tell you.

You see the King of this Province, in the days of old, when he found himself drawing near to death, leaving three sons behind him, commanded that the city should be divided into three parts, and that each of his three sons should have one. So each of these three parts is separately walled about, though all three are surrounded by the common wall of the city. Each of the three sons was King, having his own part of the city, and his own share of the kingdom, and each of them in fact was a great and wealthy King. But the Great Kaan conquered the kingdom of these three Kings, and stripped them of their inheritance.{1}

Through the midst of this great city runs a large river, in which they catch a great quantity of fish. It is a good half mile wide, and very deep withal, and so long that it reaches all the way to the Ocean Sea,—a very long way, equal to 80 or 100 days’ journey. And the name of the River is KIAN-SUY. The multitude of vessels that navigate this river is so vast, that no one who should read or hear the tale would believe it. The quantities of merchandize also which merchants carry up and down this river are past all belief. In fact, it is so big, that it seems to be a Sea rather than a River!{2}

Let us now speak of a great Bridge which crosses this River within the city. This bridge is of stone; it is seven paces in width and half a mile in length (the river being that much in width as I told you); and all along its length on either side there are columns of marble to bear the roof, for the bridge is roofed over from end to end with timber, and that all richly painted. And on this bridge there are houses in which a great deal of trade and industry is carried on. But these houses are all of wood merely, and they are put up in the morning and taken down in the evening. Also there stands upon the bridge the Great Kaan’s _Comercque_, that is to say, his custom-house, where his toll and tax are levied.{3} And I can tell you that the dues taken on this bridge bring to the Lord a thousand pieces of fine gold every day and more. The people are all Idolaters.{4}

When you leave this city you travel for five days across a country of plains and valleys, finding plenty of villages and hamlets, and the people of which live by husbandry. There are numbers of wild beasts, lions, and bears, and such like.

I should have mentioned that the people of Sindu itself live by manufactures, for they make fine sendals and other stuffs.{5}

After travelling those five days’ march, you reach a province called Tebet, which has been sadly laid waste; we will now say something of it.

NOTE 1.—We are on firm ground again, for SINDAFU is certainly
CH’ÊNG-TU FU, the capital of Sze-ch’wan. Probably the name used by
Polo was _Sindu-fu_, as we find _Sindu_ in the G. T. near the end
of the chapter. But the same city is, I observe, called _Thindafu_
by one of the Nepalese embassies, whose itineraries Mr. Hodgson has
given in the _J. A. S. B._ XXV. 488.

┌────────────┐
│ │
┌───┤ ┌───┐ │
│ B │ │ C │ A │
│ │ │ │ │
└───┤ └───┘ │
│ │
└────────────┘
A. The Great City.
B. The Little City.
C. The Imperial City.

The modern French missions have a bishop in Ch’êng-tu fu, and the
city has been visited of late years by Mr. T. T. Cooper, by Mr. A.
Wylie, by Baron v. Richthofen, [Captain Gill, Mr. Baber, Mr. Hosie,
and several other travellers]. Mr. Wylie has kindly favoured me
with the following note:—“My notice all goes to corroborate Marco
Polo. The covered bridge with the stalls is still there, the only
difference being the absence of the toll-house. I did not see any
traces of a tripartite division of the city, nor did I make any
enquiries on the subject during the 3 or 4 days I spent there, as
it was not an object with me at the time to verify Polo’s account.
The city is indeed divided, but the division dates more than a
thousand years back. It is something like this, I should say [see
diagram].[1]

“The Imperial City (_Hwang Ching_) was the residence of the
monarch Lew Pé (_i.e._ Liu Pei of p. 32) during the short period
of the ‘Three Kingdoms’ (3rd century), and some relics of the
ancient edifice still remain. I was much interested in looking
over it. It is now occupied by the Public Examination Hall and its
dependencies.”

I suspect Marco’s story of the Three Kings arose from a
misunderstanding about this historical period of the _San-Kwé_, or
Three Kingdoms (A.D. 222–264). And this tripartite division of the
city may have been merely that which we see to exist at present.

[Mr. Baber, leaving Ch’êng-tu, 26th July, 1877, writes (_Travels_,
p. 28): “We took ship outside the East Gate on a rapid narrow
stream, apparently the city moat, which soon joins the main river,
a little below the An-shun Bridge, an antiquated wooden structure
some 90 yards long. This is in all probability the bridge mentioned
by Marco Polo. The too flattering description he gives of it leads
one to suppose that the present handsome stone bridges of the
province were unbuilt at the time of his journey.” Baber is here
mistaken.

Captain Gill writes (_l.c._ II. p. 9): “As Mr. Wylie in recent days
had said that Polo’s covered bridge was still in its place, we went
one day on an expedition in search of it. Polo, however, speaks of
a bridge full half a mile long, whilst the longest now is but 90
yards. On our way we passed over a fine nine-arched stone bridge,
called the Chin-Yen-Ch’iao. Near the covered bridge there is a very
pretty view down the river.”—H. C.]

Baron Richthofen observes that Ch’êng-tu is among the largest of
Chinese cities, and is of all the finest and most refined. The
population is called 800,000. The walls form a square of about 3
miles to the side, and there are suburbs besides. The streets are
broad and straight, laid out at right angles, with a pavement of
square flags very perfectly laid, slightly convex and drained at
each side. The numerous commemorative arches are sculptured with
skill; there is much display of artistic taste; and the people
are remarkably civil to foreigners. This characterizes the whole
province; and an air of wealth and refinement prevails even in the
rural districts. The plain round Ch’êng-tu fu is about 90 miles
in length (S.E. to N.W.), by 40 miles in width, with a copious
irrigation and great fertility, so that in wealth and population it
stands almost unrivalled. (_Letter_ VII. pp. 48–66.)

_Églises ou Établissements français des “Missions étrangères”_

_Reproduction d’une carte chinoise_]

[Mr. Baber (_Travels_, p. 26) gives the following information
regarding the population of Ch’êng-tu: “The census of 1877 returned
the number of families at about 70,000, and the total population
at 330,000—190,000 being males and 140,000 females; but probably
the extensive suburb was not included in the enumeration. Perhaps
350,000 would be a fair total estimate.” It is the seat of the
Viceroy of the Sze-ch’wan province. Mr. Hosie says (_Three Years in
Western China_, p. 86): “It is without exception the finest city I
have seen in China; Peking and Canton will not bear comparison with
it.” Captain Gill writes (_River of Golden Sand_, II. p. 4): “The
city of Ch’êng-Tu is still a rich and noble one, somewhat irregular
in shape, and surrounded by a strong wall, in a perfect state of
repair. In this there are eight bastions, four being pierced by
gates.”

“It is one of the largest of Chinese cities, having a circuit of
about 12 miles.” (_Baber_, p. 26.) “It is now three and a half
miles long by about two and a half miles broad, the longest side
lying about east-south-east, and west-north-west, so that its
compass in the present day is about 12 miles.” (_Captain Gill_, II.
p. 4.)—H. C.]

NOTE 2.—Ramusio is more particular: “Through the city flow many
great rivers, which come down from distant mountains, and run
winding about through many parts of the city. These rivers vary in
width from half a mile to 200 paces, and are very deep. Across them
are built many bridges of stone,” etc. “And after passing the city
these rivers unite and form one immense river called Kian,” etc.
Here we have the Great River or KIANG, Kian (Quian) as in Ramusio,
or KIANG-SHUI, “Waters of the Kiang,” as in the text. So Pauthier
explains. [Mr. Baber remarks at Ch’êng-tu (_Travels_, p. 28): “When
all allowance is made for the diminution of the river, one cannot
help surmising that Marco Polo must have felt reluctant to call it
the _Chiang-Sui_ or ‘Yangtzŭ waterway.’ He was, however, correct
enough, as usual, for the Chinese consider it to be the main upper
stream of the Yangtzŭ.”—H. C.] Though our Geographies give the
specific names of Wen and Min to the great branch which flows by
Ch’êng-tu fu, and treat the Tibetan branch which flows through
northern Yunnan under the name of Kin sha or “Golden Sand,” as the
main river, the Chinese seem always to have regarded the former as
the true Kiang; as may be seen in Ritter (IV. 650) and Martini. The
latter describes the city as quite insulated by the ramifications
of the river, from which channels and canals pass all about it,
adorned with many quays and bridges of stone.

The numerous channels in reuniting form two rivers, one the Min,
and the other the To-Kiang, which also joins the Yangtzŭ at Lu-chau.

[In his _Introductory Essay to Captain Gill’s River of Golden
Sand_, Colonel Yule (p. 37) writes: “Captain Gill has pointed out
that, of the many branches of the river which ramify through the
plain of Ch’êng-tu, no one now passes through the city at all
corresponding in magnitude to that which Marco Polo describes,
about 1283, as running through the midst of Sin-da-fu, ‘a good
half-mile wide, and very deep withal.’ The largest branch adjoining
the city now runs on the south side, but does not exceed a hundred
yards in width; and though it is crossed by a covered bridge with
huxters’ booths, more or less in the style described by Polo, it
necessarily falls far short of his great bridge of half a mile
in length. Captain Gill suggests that a change may have taken
place in the last five (this should be _six_) centuries, owing to
the deepening of the river-bed at its exit from the plain, and
consequent draining of the latter. But I should think it more
probable that the ramification of channels round Ch’êng-tu, which
is so conspicuous even on a small general map of China, like that
which accompanies this work, is in great part due to art; that
the mass of the river has been drawn off to irrigate the plain;
and that thus the wide river, which in the 13th century may have
passed through the city, no unworthy representative of the mighty
Kiang, has long since ceased, on that scale, to flow. And I have
pointed out briefly that the fact, which Baron Richthofen attests,
of an actual bifurcation of waters on a large scale taking place
in the plain of Ch’êng-tu—one arm ‘branching east to form the To’
(as in the terse indication of the Yü-Kung)—viz. the To Kiang or
Chung-Kiang flowing south-east to join the great river at Lu-chau,
whilst another flows south to Sü-chau or Swi-fu, does render
change in the distribution of the waters about the city highly
credible.”] [See _Irrigation of the Ch’eng-tu Plain_, by _Joshua
Vale_, China Inland Mission in _Jour. China Br. R. A. S. Soc._
XXXIII. 1899–1900, pp. 22–36.—H. C.]

[Above Kwan Hsien, near Ch’êng-tu, there is a fine suspension
bridge, mentioned by Marcel Monnier (_Itinéraires_, p. 43), from
whom I borrow the cut reproduced on this page. This bridge is also
spoken of by Captain Gill (_l.c._ I. p. 335): “Six ropes, one above
the other, are stretched very tightly, and connected by vertical
battens of wood laced in and out. Another similar set of ropes is
at the other side of the roadway, which is laid across these, and
follows the curve of the ropes. There are three or four spans with
stone piers.”—H. C.]

NOTE 3.—(G. T.) “_Hi est le_ couiereque _dou Grant Sire, ce est
cilz qe recevent la rente dou Seignor_.” Pauthier has _couvert_.
Both are, I doubt not, misreadings or misunderstandings of
_comercque_ or _comerc_. This word, founded on the Latin
_commercium_, was widely spread over the East with the meaning
of _customs-duty_ or _custom-house_. In Low Greek it appeared as
κομμέρκιον and κουμέρκιον, now κομέρκι; in Arabic and Turkish as
قمرق and كمرك (_ḳumruḳ_ and _gyumruk_), still in use; in Romance
dialects as _comerchio, comerho, comergio_, etc.

NOTE 4.—The word in Pauthier’s text which I have rendered _pieces_
of gold is _pois_, probably equivalent to _saggi_ or _misḳáls_.[2]
The G. T. has “is well worth 1000 _bezants_ of gold,” no doubt
meaning _daily_, though not saying so. Ramusio has “100 bezants
daily.” The term Bezant may be taken as synonymous with _Dínár_,
and the statement in the text would make the daily receipt of
custom upwards of 500_l._, that in Ramusio upwards of 50_l._ only.

NOTE 5.—I have recast this passage, which has got muddled, probably
in the original dictation, for it runs in the G. text: “Et de ceste
cité se part l’en et chevauche cinq jornée por plain et por valée,
et treve-l’en castiaus et casaus assez. Les homes vivent dou profit
qu’il traient de la terre. Il hi a bestes sauvajes assez, lions et
orses et autres bestes. _Il vivent d’ars: car il hi se laborent des
biaus sendal et autres dras. Il sunt de Sindu meisme._” I take it
that in speaking of Ch’êng-tu fu, Marco has forgotten to fill up
his usual formula as to the occupation of the inhabitants; he is
reminded of this when he speaks of the occupation of the peasantry
on the way to Tibet, and reverts to the citizens in the words which
I have quoted in Italics. We see here _Sindu_ applied to the city,
suggesting _Sindu-fu_ for the reading at the beginning of the
chapter.

Silk is a large item in the produce and trade of Sze-ch’wan; and
through extensive quarters of Ch’êng-tu fu, in every house, the
spinning, dying, weaving, and embroidering of silk give occupation
to the people. And though a good deal is exported, much is consumed
in the province, for the people are very much given to costly
apparel. Thus silk goods are very conspicuous in the shops of the
capital. (_Richthofen_.)

----------------------------------------------------------------------
[1] My lamented friend Lieutenant F. Garnier had kindly undertaken to
send me a plan of Ch’êng-tu fu from the place itself, but, as is
well known, he fell on a daring enterprise elsewhere. [We hope
that the plan from a Chinese map we give from _M. Marcel Monnier’s
Itinéraires_ will replace the promised one.

It will be seen that Ch’êng-tu is divided into three cities: the
Great City containing both the Imperial and Tartar cities.—H. C.]

[2] I find the same expression applied to the misḳál or dínár in a
MS. letter written by Giovanni dell’Affaitado, Venetian Agent at
Lisbon in 1503, communicated to me by Signor Berchet. The King of
Melinda was to pay to Portugal a tribute of 1500 _pesi d’oro_, “che
un peso val un ducato e un quarto.”