WUHU
湖蕪 Wú-hú
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This port (the name of which signifies grass and lakes," ie., swamps) was opened to foreign trade, by the Chefoo Convention, on the 1st April, 1877. It is situated on the Yangtsze, in the province of An-hwei, and is a "half-way port between Chinkiang and Kewkiang, though nearer to the former. It has the appearance of a thriving and busy town, and is admirably located for trade. This is mainly owing to the excellence of its water communication with the interior. A large canal, with a depth of five to six feet of water in the winter and ten to twelve feet in the summer, connects the port with the important city of Ning-kuoh-fu, in southern An-hwei, fifty miles distant. Another canal runs inland for over eight miles in a south-westerly direction to Taiping-hsien, an extensive tea district. This canal, which is only navigable in the summer, passes through Nan-ling and King-hsien, where the cultivation of silk is carried on, and may some day be of importance. The silk districts of Nan-ling and King-hsien are situated within fifty miles of Wuhu. Besides the canals leading to Ning-kuch-fu and Taiping-hsien, there are two others communicating with Su-an and Tung-po.
It will be seen from the above enumeration of the facilities for water carriage from Wuhu that it is calculated to prove an emporium for commerce. The value of the trade of the port for the year 1913 was Hk. Tls. 20,223,604, as compared with Tls. 29,506,289, a notable decrease in 1912. Coal may some day become a considerable article of export from Wuhu, both native and foreign capital having been directed to the great coal fields of the province. The China Merchants' Steam Navigation Company are interested in several coal districts and have expended large sums in the opening of their mining property; the output has thus far been small, owing to the lack of proper machinery and management. The Chin Kang Company, a wealthy native syndicate, have a Government permit to open mines in several districts and have been prospecting with a view to developing their property in the near future. A number of smaller companies are operating at present with the sanction of the above Corporation, to whom they pay a royalty. Two companies representing foreign capital-the Yangtsze Land and Investment Company, Limited, and the I Li Coal and Mining Company, Limited--have purchased a number of the most valuable mining properties in the immediate neighbourhood of Wuhu.
There is a large trade in timber in Wuhu, but that, like all other trades, is in the hands of the Chinese. There is a steam flour mill and a soap factory. The soap does not sell well. The preservation of egg yolk and albumen is an industry which was started in 1897, and has been carried on with several changes of proprietorship. A brick and tile manufactory is being erected.
The town is fairly well built, with rather broader streets than most Chinese cities possess, and is tolerably paved. The tract of land selected 30 years ago for the foreign settlement was definitely ceded in 1906, and sites were allotted to the Anhwei Railway Company and to various shipping companies, each lot having a river frontage of 600 to 1,100 feet. Bunding operations have progressed satisfactorily, and the place has taken on a decided air of prosperity. The roads in the Foreign Settlement have now been completed and are well laid out, forming a good promenade for those who care to avail themselves of walking exercise. Four large godowns have been built by Messrs. Butterfield & Swire on their ground in the New Settlement for storing rice, and Messrs. Jardine, Matheson & Co., have also acquired property in the vicinity. Everything in and about the New Settlement seems to be in a state of abeyance, waiting for, it is said, the Customs to build and move down to the site adjoining it, and a plot of ground has been purchased by the Customs for this purpose. Work the railway also appears to be at a a standstill. On the plots of ground acquired by the Asiatic Petroleum and the Standard Oil Companies below I-Chi-Shan, a hill which forms the lower boundary of the Foreign Settlements, the former company has erected oil godowns and the latter has premises in course of erection. The Electric Light Co. appear to be doing well, for electric lighting has superseded that of oil to a great extent. A railway is projected to Kwangtehchow, but funds are said to be lacking, and the only work noticeable at the Wuhu end is that piers have been erected for a bridge across the creek. The population of Wuhu is estimated at 100,000.
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