Bulletin of Catholic University of Peking

56

BULLETIN NUMBER FOUR

Ta Lung Men. The

and feet above sea-level; on the south, high mountains also delimit the region in a very effectual manner, save where the road from the south enters the valley, and here artificial fortifications have been constructed. The western boundary is the Chii Ma River, whose western bank is a high mountain chain. On the north is the Great Dragon Gate, and a high mountain ridge divides this valley from the one in which the Trappist Monastery is situated, 20 miles away. The Monastery was located in this region because of its inaccessibility.

The Great Dragon Gate is a canyon of surpassing beauty. Its grandeur and magnitude are enhanced if approached from the ‘‘Lost Tribe” valley, where a bend in the road suddenly

“Great Dragon Gate.”

brings it into full view. The great road to the north threads its way through this canyon, but the clear stream requires fording every few hundred yards, as there is scarcely room for the road and this erratic and most inconsiderate river. We know that the Chinese are not easily moved to express their feelings of wonder and admiration at sight of beautiful scenery, so we were amazed to find many inscriptions, in characters two or three feet high, carved into the vertical walls of rock. Some of them read: ‘‘This is the accumulation of a thousand peaks and ten thousand ridges.’’ Again: “This is surely the Tiger’s path and the Dragon’s road.”’ Some poet was moved to express his awe in rhyme: