The Amnye Ma-Chhen Range and Adjacent Regions

Preface

For years I had planned to write a geographic and historic account of the three great principalities of West China and areas of northeastern Tibet to which Am-nye Ma-chhen belongs, but other undertakings in the field from 1930 to 1949 prevented this project from being carried out.
As the Am-nye Ma-chhen has been kept in the foreground, and been the subject of various articles and even a book (vide appendix) none of which proved of scientific value, I thought it opportune to publish in a brief and concise form our findings. Although the exact height of the Am-nye Ma-chhen peaks could not be determined, the faet remains that all are considerably below that of Mount Everest.
Of greater interest than determining the exact height of the range was the exploration of the hitherto unknown course of the Yellow River in the area, resulting in the detailed maps accompanying this book. All the photographs were taken by the author.
The romanization of Chinese characters is according to the Wade-Giles system, and that of the Tibetan according to Sir Basil Gould with minor modifications.
It was intended to publish a second part, the author of which is Dr. Johannes Schubert, giving a translation of certain Tibetan texts dealing with the deity Ma-chhen Pomra, believed by the Tibetans to inhabit the mountain. Owing to unforeseen difficulties the publication of the second part has been postponed.
The author wishes to express his thanks, especially to Professor Tucci who made this publication possible, and to the Far Eastern and Russian Institute of the University of Washington for its financial contribution.