Breaking the Chains
Page 35
Ving Tsun came from Canton in Kwangtung province. For part of the reign of the K'ang-hsi emperor Kwangtung was under the rule of general Shang. He was governor of Kwangtung from 1649 to 1673. It was general Shang's wish to retire that led to the Revolt of the Three Feudatories. Under Shang, Kwangtung was not a Ming stronghold. Leung Bok Chau, the man Ving Tsun was to marry, was a salt merchant from Fukien (Fujian). General Keng Chi-mao was governor of Fukien until 1673. Fukien was not a Ming stronghold while general Keng was in charge of it. General Cheng Ch'eng-kung and his family, who monopolized trade across the China seas, also came from Fukien. Cheng supported the Ming. In an effort to isolate Cheng the Ch'ing government forced some people to move away from the coastal regions near Taiwan (Fukien and Kwangtung) and settle further inland. Ving Tsun moved from Canton, capital city of Kwangtung, to the Yunnan/Szechwan border. Tradition has it that her father moved to avoid a possible jail sentence. General Wu was governor of Yunnan from 1659 to 1673. Under general Wu, Yunnan was not a Ming stronghold.
Szechwan was one of the first areas of China to be settled by the Han. Organised Han migration into Szechwan first took place in the 5th century BC. The Tsinling Mountains in the north, the Wu Mountains in the east, the Ta-lou Mountains in the south, and the Ta-hsueh Mountains in the west border Szechwan. Four tributaries of the Yangtze River (Min, T'o, Chia-ling, Fou) are referred to in the name Szechwan (Four Streams). Various reasons make the eastern basin area the heart of the province. The Chinese call the basin 'Tien Fu Chih Kuo' (Heaven on Earth). It has a mild climate (in excess of 300 frost-free days annually) and a growing season that lasts nearly all year round. Szechwan is the most heavily populated province in China. Most of the inhabitants live in the eastern part of the province. Many ethnic groups are represented there: Han, Yi, Tibetans, Miao, T'u-chia, Ch'iang, and Hui. The basin area of eastern Szechwan is widely terraced. It is sometimes known as 'land of one million steps'. Irrigation is practiced in the terraced strips. One system of irrigation employed is the Tu Chiang-yen. It is the oldest system in China. Valuable lumber forests exist on the highlands that surround the basin area. Mineral deposits in the province include: iron, copper, coal, lead, marble, and salt. Water transport is the most important means of transport. The Yangtze River flows through the basin. It is the spinal cord of river transport there.
In ancient times indigenous tribes had inhabited Yunnan. Chinese immigrants settled only the eastern parts of the province. The Mongols brought many Chinese Muslims (Hui) into the area during the Yuan dynasty (1206-1368). It was the Mongols who named the province Yunnan (Cloudy South). The province has two distinct areas: a canyon region in the west and a plateau region in the east; these two areas are separated by the Ai-lao Mountains. The western canyon area knows sweltering heat with high humidity at the valley bottoms and freezing winds at the mountaintops.
Yunnan's eastern plateau region is separated from Szechwan by part of the Yangtze River called the Chin-sha River. In spite of its tropical latitude the eastern plateau region has moderate temperatures with cool summers and mild winters. The growing season lasts for ten months. Rice is the main food crop. Enormous reserves of timber exist in the western canyon area. The largest minority group in Yunnan are the Yi. Northwestern Yunnan contains the second largest minority group, the Pai. Other groups include the Na-hsi, Ching-p'o, Miao, Yao, Chuang, and Tibetans. Yunnan has large tin deposits and produces much copper - most of the metal for minting coins during the Ch'ing dynasty came from Yunnan. The province has deposits of coal, iron, silver, marble, and rock salt. Most of the rivers in Yunnan are difficult if not impossible to navigate.
Kwangtung was incorporated into the Chinese empire in 222 BC. Kwangtung means Eastern Expanses. Low hills cover approximately seventy percent of the province. It is separated from the Yangtze River basin by the Nan Mountains. Most of eastern Kwangtung is made up of the southerly extension of the Southern Uplands. Kwangtung has tropical and subtropical climates as much of the province lies south of the Tropic of Cancer. Winter is unknown there. Summer lasts for ten months in the south and for six months in the north. The population is mostly Han. Minority groups include the Yao, Chuang-chia, and She. Agriculture is the economic foundation of Kwangtung. The most important crop is rice. Three crops a year can be produced in the Pearl River Delta - other areas in the province produce two crops a year. Water transport is important within Kwangtung; however, contact with other provinces depends upon land routes. Due to population growth migrants from Kwangtung settled in Szechwan and Kwangsi during the late 17th century. The capital city of Kwangtung is Kuang-chou (Canton). The city is situated near the head of the Pearl River Estuary - more than 145km inland from the South China Sea. Canton has been important to various revolutionaries: Mao Zedong, Zhou Enlai, Chiang Kai-shek, Sun Yat-sen, and Hung Hsiu-ch'uan (leader of the Taiping Rebellion).
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