ovincial boundaries; the
remainder of the territory consists of the mountain ranges which define
its northern and western frontier. The plain of Chih-li is formed
principally by detritus deposited by the Pei-ho and its tributary the
Hun-ho ("muddy river"), otherwise known as the Yung-ting-ko, and other
streams having their sources in mountains of Shan-si and other ranges.
It is bounded E. by the Gulf of Chih-li and Shan-tung, and S. by
Shan-tung and Ho-nan. The proportion of Mahommedans among the population
is very large. In Peking there are said to be as many as 20,000
Mahommedan families, and in Pao-ting Fu, the capital of the province,
there are about 1000 followers of the prophet. The extremes of heat and
cold in Chih-li are very marked. During the months of December, January
and February the rivers are frozen up, and even the Gulf of Chih-li is
fringed with a broad border of ice. There are four rivers of some
importance in the province: the Pei-ho, with the Hun-ho, which rises in
the mountains in Mongolia and, flowing to the west of Peking, forms a
junction with the Pei-ho at Tientsin; the Shang-si-ho, which rises in
the mountains on the north of the province of Shan-si, and takes a
south-easterly course as far as the neighbourhood of Ki Chow, from which
point it trends north-east and eventually joines the Hun-ho some 15 m.
above Tientsin; the Pu-to-ho, which rises in Shan-si, and after running
a parallel course to Shang-si-ho on the south, empties itself in the
same way into the Hun-ho; and the Lan-ho, which rises in Mongolia,
enters the province on the north-east after passing to the west of
Jehol, passes the city of Yung-p'ing Fu in its course (which is
south-easterly) through Chih-li, and from thence winds its way to the
north-eastern boundary of the Gulf of Chih-li. The province contains
three lakes of considerable size. The largest is the Ta-lu-tsze Hu,
which lies in 37 deg. 40' N. and 115 deg. 20' E.; the second in importance
is one which is situated to the east of Pao-ting Fu; and the third is the
Tu-lu-tsze Hu, which lies east by north of Shun-te Fu. Four high roads
radiate from Peking, one leading to Urga by way of Suean-hwa Fu, which
passes through the Great Wall at Chang-kiu K'ow; another, which enters
Mongolia through the Ku-pei K'ow to the north-east, and after continuing
that course as far as Fung-ning turns in a north-westerly direction to
Dolonnor; a third striking due east by way of T'ung-chow and Y