SOOCHOW-HANGCHOW
JAPAN
POST OFFICE-IMPERIAL JAPANESE
Chancellor in charge-H. Yoshioka
Acting Postmaster-S. Takagi
181
Interpreter-T. Katayama
Inspector of Police-T, Ogura
## Soo-chow Hsin-kuan
CUSTOMS IMPERIAL MARITIME
Act. Commr.-P. H. S. Montgomery Assistant--R. de Luca
Clerk-J. Berthelot
Medical Officer-W. H. Park, M.D.
Tidesurveyor-J. Liedcke
Asst. Examiner-T. C. Burchett Tidewaiters-G. Knox, J. H. West
POLICE
Inspector—A. Olsen
POST OFFICE-Imperial CHINESE
Acting Postal Officer, Mitu Bridge-
W. Scott
•
Asst. do. Ch'ang Mên-R. W. Lambuth
興蘇
Soo SIN & Co., Merchants
T. Hayashi
利新東大
TAITO, SINRI & Co., Merchants and Own-
ers of Strs. "Taito" and "Sinri "
R. Shiraiwa
K. Kaizu
利福 Fuh-lee
WOODWARD & Co., Storekeepers and Com-
mission Agents
A. Tracey Woodward
A. V. O. Woodward (Kobe) M. Zeen (Shanghai)
L. S. Son
HANGCHOW
Hangchow, the capital of the province of Chekiang, is situated 150 miles south- west of Shanghai, and 127 miles south of Soochow, on the Chien-tang River at the apex of a bay which is too shallow for the navigation of steamers. The mouth of the river is, moreover, periodically visited by a bore, or tidal wave, which further endangers the navigation. Haining is the best place for observing this famous bore, which is formed by the north-east trade wind heaping up the water of the Pacific on the China coast and causing enormous tides. Hangchau Bay is shaped like a funnel, and the mass of water rushing up, more and more concentrated as it advances, is sud- denly confronted by the current of the river. The momentary check causes the water to assume a wall-like formation, then, growing to a height of 15ft. and gathering mo- mentum with the immense pressure behind, forcing its volume into the comparatively narrow waterway, it tears past the sea-wall with a roar like thunder at a rate some- times exceeding 15 miles an hour. Before the Taiping rebellion Hangchow shared with Soochow the reputation of being the finest city in the Empire, on account of its wealth and splendour, but it was almost destroyed by the rebels. It has since rapidly recovered and is once more populous and flourishing, though it has not yet regained its former pitch of prosperity. The population is estimated at 500,000. As a manu- facturing centre Hangchow takes place even before Soochow. Its three great trades are silk weaving, including several kinds of crape and gauze, the production of fans of all kinds, and the making of thin tin foil, from which are formed the imitation ingots of silver, burnt in such immense quantities by the Chinese. In addition, it sends out thread, string, colours, drugs, lacquer, and many other articles in small quantities. The communication by water with Shanghai is particularly good, and might be much improved with very little trouble by a small amount of dredging at a spot in the Grand Canal twenty miles from Hangchow. Ningpo, about eighty miles distant, can also be reached by boat from Hangehow, but the canals are not so large and convenient. Hangchow was declared open to foreign trade on the 26th September, 1896, in accordance with the terms of the Japanese treaty. Steam launches ply regularly to and from Shanghai and to and from Soochow with passengers, boats in tow making the trip in from 18 to 24 hours. A brisk trade has been done during the year 1897. One of the sights of Hangchow is the famous western lake, dotted with islets crowned with shrines and memorial temples, and spanned by causeways joining island to island. The general picturesque effect is heightened by temples, pagodas, and similar monuments judiciously placed in effective spots, while the slopes of the hills bordering the lake on the west are bright with azaleas, honey-
Digitized by Google