CHINA Road Through Yellow Earth Region - 1884 Antique Print Engraving

Description: Print title: Road Cut Through the "Yellow Earth" Print Specifics: Type of print: Wood Engraving - Original antique print Year of printing: not indicated in the print - actual 1884 Publisher: D. Appleton & Co., New York. Condition: 1 (1. Excellent - 2. Very good - 3. Good - 4. Fair). Light age toning of paper. Dimensions: 7 x 10.5 inches (17,5 x 26 cm), including blank margins (borders) around the image. Paper weight: 3 (1. Thick - 2. Heavier - 3. Medium heavy - 4. Slightly heavier - 5. Thin) Reverse side: Blank Notes: 1. Green color 'border' around the print in the photo is a contrasting background on which the print was photographed. 2. The print detail is sharper than the photo of the print. Original Narrative: Apart from the highlands and alluvial plains, most of the Hoang-ho basin is covered with hoang-tu, or "yellow earth," which prevails throughout Pechili, Shansi, Kansu, half of Shensi, the northern division of Honan, and extensive tracts in Shantung. This formation, comprising a region larger than the whole of France, reaches in some places even to the banks of the Yang-tzc, and stretches westwards to the Tibetan plateaux. In these regions everything is yellow—hills, fields, highways, houses, the very torrents and streams charged with alluvia. Even the vegetation is often covered with a yellow veil, while every puff of wind raises clouds of fine dust. Much ingenuity has been displayed in overcoming the difficulties offered to free communication by the perpendicular walls of the yellow lands. To pass from river basin to river basin advantage has been taken of every narrow fissure, deep cuttings have been made in many places, and fresh routes opened when these have been filled up by the landslips. Some of the most-frequented roads have been excavated to depths of from 40 to 100 feet and upwards, and the labour expended on all these works is at least equal to that lavished on the building of the Great Wall, or the construction of the Grand Canal. The roads are sometimes continued for hundreds of miles almost in the bowels of the earth, but are seldom more than 8 or 10 feet wide, the wheeled traffic being conducted by means of shuntings like the "gares " in the Suez Canal. In dry weather the waggons sink into the dust up to the axle, while after the rains the tracks are converted into quagmires, dangerous alike to man and beast. Yet these difficult highways, being quite unavoidable, possess great strategic importance, the blockade of one of these defiles at a single point being often sufficient to cut off all communication between extensive regions. Martin2001 Satisfaction Guaranteed Policy! Any print purchased from me may be returned for any (or no) reason for a full refund including all postage. Internet seller since 1998. Five-star service.

Price: 12.75 USD

Location: Manassas, Virginia

End Time: 2024-12-19T19:00:36.000Z

Shipping Cost: 4.65 USD