National Geographic : 1938 May
THE NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC MAGAZINE It was in this loess region that one of the Eurasia's pilots lost his life. He took off in a snowstorm and in his blind flying over Liupan Pass the plane iced up so rapidly that he was forced down. He was killed with all his passengers. It took a searching expedition many weeks to reach the wreck and bring the bodies down to Sian. One Chinese passenger who was in the plane had disappeared. Later it was told locally that he had stepped out of the crash entirely unharmed; then had taken his bag and walked home to avoid being questioned. THE LIVING BUDDHA ARRIVES BY CAR, GOES BY AIRPLANE Much excitement ensued one day when the late "Living Buddha," or Panchen Lama, arrived by car at the Lanchow air drome. I was eager to photograph him, a procedure to which he courteously sub mitted. He seemed to enjoy the attention, walking back and forth with his head thrown up, and looking around with a proud, pleasant smile of complete self satisfaction. His high priests prepared for him in the airplane a special throne covered with the sect's official yellow cushions. On this he sat with legs crossed Buddha-wise (p. 597). Itfelltomylottoflyhimbacktohis mountain monastery, Kumbum. Taking off for Sining, we flew along the Yellow River for a short distance through the rugged gorges surrounding Lanchow and then fol lowed the Sining River. To our right we had the Richthofen Range and to the left the Koko Nor Mountains, both snow-tipped summer and winter. The airdrome in Sining was crowded with Tibetans, most of whom came from the Kumbum Monastery to welcome the return ing Lama, band and all (page 596). His priests, riding ponies, wore golden helmets of peculiar shape. Many women of the better class were there, glittering with beautifully carved jewelry in the form of flat hand-carved silver plaques inlaid with semiprecious stones, coral, and so forth (page 575). The Western, mannish-ap pearing felt hats worn over their finely braided hair contrasted sharply with their colorful costumes. As soon as he descended from the plane, the Lama entered his handsomely decorated tent, followed by a long row of peasants who crawled to kiss the hem of his robe. That evening the governor of Sining in vited us to a feast, and later to an open-air Chinese theater. The next day we flew out to visit the Panchen Lama's monastery and took nu merous photographs of golden-roofed Kum bum, lying in a deep valley over which flying was rather difficult because of strong down-currents (page 570). BY AN AIRWAY THREE MILES HIGH TO MOUNTAIN-WALLED SZECHWAN Leaving the picturesque Panchen Lama amid his priests, I returned to Shanghai and immediately started my flights to Yun nanfu. South of the Wei River and Sian begin the high mountain ranges which create a natural barrier protecting southwest China and its rich province, Szechwan, against any enemy from the north. All flights toward Yunnanfu had to be made at a minimum height of 15,000 feet. Often the country below was invisible, and we fol lowed our course entirely by radio direction finder. Until fairly recently Chengtu, the capital of Szechwan, could be reached only by mules or carrying chairs. By such means it took months to cross the narrow passes through high mountain ranges. There is no railroad, and only in late years has a motor road been built from Chungking to Chengtu. Because of this isolation, Chengtu has kept its Chinese character to an un usual extent. In recent years Chiang Kai-shek has given the city considerable attention, fore seeing the possibility of having to control China eventually from this well-nigh im penetrable fortress. Yunnanfu, of course, with its railroad from Hanoi, is more progressive. It lies at an altitude of 6,500 feet at the north end of a beautiful mountain lake, which now serves as a summer resort frequented by French society fleeing the tropical heat of Hanoi. Looking back on the development of fly ing in China, one can see enormous progress. Instead of the small single-motor airplanes, airmen now use large, modern transports. A radio network has been established all over the country. Chinese take readily to air travel. If they feel any fear, they never show it. It is easy to foresee a remarkable future in the air for this land of vast distances and mighty geographic barriers. 598