The Face of China by Emily Georgiana Kemp

We reached Kiating in the morning, and set to work at once on our preparations for the next day. The people there considered us very extraordinary for wishing to make the ascent at such an unusual time of year, and told us that it would be worse than useless, for we should certainly see nothing at all from the top. They pointed out how arduous an ascent it would be, as the snow would make climbing extremely difficult. The weather had been cloudy for some time, and we were in the land of mists, but nothing would deter us from our intention. We had read discouraging accounts of other travellers who had been up there, and it certainly sounded as if we should find the ascent beyond our strength, but we determined, at all events, to _try_. We arranged to take as little luggage as possible, but it was necessary to take food for six days, as on the sacred mountain there are no inns.

There are plenty of monasteries, which give you reasonable accommodation, but it was quite unlikely we should get food there. The first day we travelled across the plain some twenty miles to the foot of the mountain. The scenery was pretty, but nothing remarkable was to be seen at this time of the year. One of the principal objects of interest is the white wax tree, a sort of ash, called by the Chinese "Pai-la-Shu. " The white wax insects are bred in the celebrated valley of the Chien-ch'ang, some 200 miles away among the mountains. When they reach the right stage of development they are put in paper boxes, in bamboo trays, and brought to the plain of Kiating by the swiftest runners. These men only travel by night, as it is essential that the process of development should not proceed too rapidly. The boxes have to be opened every day and ventilated, and the men secure the best rooms in the inns, so that other travellers have much to suffer if they are on the road at the same time. Finally, the education of the grub is finished in the plain round Kiating.