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[[underline]] Chapter XI. [[/underline]] 22^[[5]].

evidently not pastoral, horse-riding nomads, as they [[strikethrough]] have [[/strikethrough]] ^[[are]] sometimes tacitly [[strikethrough]] been [[/strikethrough]] assumed to have been.  On the contrary, they appear to have had a culture of the semi-sedentary type once widespread over eastern Asia, and of which certain features have survived in remote areas down to quite recent or even modern times.  Their story, even as outlined in the foregoing very brief summary, thus affords us an excellent example of the manner in which Chinese expansion has taken place through the ages.  Hence to discover and excavate the site of an ancient Ti village would, I felt, be a task of no little interest and importance, both for itself and for what it could tell us in regard to the growth of the Chinese civilization in originally non-Chinese areas.
  All things considered, therefore, it seemed to me that we might hope to find northern Shansi a field of work little less important even than Honan, or than central Shensi (on the latter see Chapters V-VII).  Accordingly I decided to put the matter to the test by a reconnaissance of the region about Ta T'ung.  I therefore requested Mr. Ch'iu to write again to his friend the magistrate and ask him specifically if we might explore his district with  a view to the/ [[insertion]] eventual [[/insertion]] conduct of excavations there.  Mr YĆ¼'s reply, granting us the permission that we sought, reached us on March 24th.
  Two days later I called on the American Minister, Dr. Schurman, to congratulate him on his recent appointment as Ambassador to Germany.  While pleased at his well-deserved promotion, personally I deeply regretted his leaving China; for from the first he had done all in his power to aid in our enterprise.
Shortly thereafter Mr. and Mrs. Wenley and Mr. Tung and I paid our respects to the Panch^[[en]] Lama (since deceased), then residing temporarily in Peking.  For I had some idea that should excavation in