304  THE  CHINESE  EMPIRE
5.  The  Lower  Yangtze  route,  as  far  west  as  Hupeh
and  Hunan.
6.  The  Upper  Yangtze  route,  from  Icliang  into
Szechwan.
7.  The  Kweichow  route.
8.  The  Han  River  route,  from  Hankow  into  Shensi.
9.  The  Grand  Canal,  from  Hangchow  to  Tientsin.
10.  The  Shansi  route.
11.  The  Kiakhta  route.
12.  The  Manchurian  route.
I.  The  West  River  route  from  Canton  commands  the
whole  of  the  trade  of  Kwangsi,  and  penetrates  into  Yunnan
and  Kweichow.  At  Wuchow  the  Cassia  River  provides
a  water-way,  interrupted  by  rapids  but  navigable  by  small
boats,  to  the  provincial  capital,  Kweilin.  Farther  up,
at  Tamchow,  the  route  again  divides,  the  river  coming
in  from  the  north-west  providing  a  route,  interrupted  by
rapids  and  shallows,  but  navigable  by  boats  of  15  tons  deadweight ­
  capacity,  and  penetrating  to  the  north-western
part  of  Kwangsi  and,  via  Liuchow  and  Kingyuan,  into
Kweichow.  The  southern  of  the  two  branches  at  TamchoW
continues  the  name  of  West  River  until,  some  30  miles
above  Nanning,  it  divides  into  the  Left  Branch  continuing
west  to  Lungchow,  and  the  Right  Branch  leading  northwest ­
  to  Poseh  :  to  these  points  boats  of  25  tons  deadweight ­
  capacity  can  safely  pass  the  rapids.  From  Poseh  runs
the  main  trade  route  for  traffic  by  pack-animal  into  western
and  central  Yunnan.  There  are  no  statistics  of  the  Chinese
produce  brought  down  and  sent  inland,  and  the  only  gauge
of  the  volume  of  traffic  on  this  route  is  in  the  quantity  oí
foreign  goods  sent  inland  under  transit  pass,  which,  from
Canton  and  Wuchow  in  1903,  was  as  follows  :—
No.  of  Passes.
To  Kwangsi  .  22,275
,,  Kweichow  ,.  .,  83,228
,F  Yunnan  ..  5,114

Value  of  Goods*
Tls.
860,803
4,856,903
340,086