dominated by the Yulong range, at whose foot Rock established a residence in the village of Nguluko. This would be his primary base for the next 27 years, as he organized botanical expeditions throughout much of western China along the eastern borderlands of Tibet, a large, remote and very rugged area with numerous non-Han peoples for the most part only nominally governed by the Chinese government. Throughout the period Rock was in China, the country was wracked by warlordism, civil war, the war with Japan and finally the triumph of Mao Zedong’s communist forces. Western China was parceled out into a colorful array of petty states and tribal territories, and infested with banditry, a well established way of life throughout these areas. Nevertheless, Rock managed to collect and send back to his sponsors in the U.S. large quantities of plant and bird specimens, as well as many thousands of photographs of geographical, botanical, ethnographic and historical interest. Working with a group of Nakhi assistants, many of whom remained with him for decades, Rock was a superb collector, both in the quantity and quality of his seed and plant specimens. Since he came relatively late in terms of botanical exploration to one of the most bio-diverse regions of the world, he discovered relatively few new plant species, but many superior specimens to what had previously been available in the West. His style of expeditions typically involved large caravans, which besides the necessary provisions and equipment for storing his specimens and photography, included a personal cook, table with complete dinner setting, a portable bathtub and a phonograph. Usually an armed escort was a necessary addition against bandits or hostile tribes and had to be arranged for with each local authority. These expeditions were carried out over the course of the 1920s, financed by various prestigious institutions. For the first few years based in Lijiang, Rock carried out expeditions mostly in the northern regions of Yunnan sponsored by the National Geographic Society and the Smithsonian Institution. Beginning in Dec. 1924, Rock set off on his most ambitious expedition lasting over three years sponsored by Harvard's Arnold Arboretum. The primary purpose was to collect plant and bird specimens in Gansu province, around Kokonor (Qinghai Lake) and in the Amnye Machen mountain range. For much of this time he based himself in Choni (Jonê County), Gansu as the guest of the prince or chieftain (tusi)