KIAOCHAU—TSINANFU
775
with the most up-to date, appliances was also in full operation. There is a big export of cattle to Vladivostock. Fruit grafting is becoming a promising enterprise. The develop- ment of the town of Tsingtau had made considerable progress; the town is thoroughly lit by electricity, houses had been springing up in all directions, and a system of water supply and sewerage add much to the hygienic conditions of the town. The dry dock commenced operations in October, 1905, and important new harbour works were completed a few years ago. The dock employed 56 Europeans and an average of 1,400
Chinese workmen,
:
■1
For the European community the Government maintained a reformed modern grammar school, open to boys and girls alike. In addition to the State school there was a girls' boarding and day school carried on by Franciscan Nuus. There were also a number of village schools in which in a five-years' course of instruction the pupils could obtain an elementary knowledge of Chinese, arithmetic, physical and political geography, natural science and German. For secondary instruction in European and Chinese sciences there was the German-Chinese High School opened on October 25th, 1501. The new buildings recently constructed were designed to accommodate 520 pupils. The teaching staff consisted of 28 German and 9 Chinese teachers thoroughly equipped observatory was opened in January, 1912, through the munificence of the Union of German Navy Leagues abroad.
A
The temperate climate and the excellent beach brought Tsingtau into prominence
as a summer resort.
TSINANFU
Tsinan (or Chinan, as it is sometimes written), the capital of the province of Shantung, has the distinction of being the first city in the Chinese Empire in which a Foreign Commercial Settlement was voluntarily opened by the Government of China. The date of its inauguration was January 10th, 1906. The city of Tsinan lies at the foot of a range of hills (Lat. 36° 50′ N; Long. 117° É), and has a gradual slope from south to north. Situated in the south-west suburb are magnificent springs giving forth many tons of water per minute, and the streams from these natural fountains flow through the city to a lake situated on the north side. This abundance of water tends to make Tsinan one of the cleanest as well as one of the healthiest cities in the Empire. The population is computed to number about 300,000, about one-twentieth of whom profess the Mohammedan faith. In an address delivered on the occasion of the inauguration of the Foreign Settlement, the Governor of Shantung described Tsinan as occupying a pivotal position with respect to northern and southern China and as being on the main route from Kaifeng Fu to the Yellow Sea. "An immense development," he declared, "must therefore await this Settlement, and though it may never equal the largest commercial centres of Europe and America, yet it may well hope to enter into rivalry with them." Quite a considerable number of foreigners and foreign institutions have already established themselves in the Settlement, while build- ing lots have been reserved for some of the principal German and Japanese shipping and banking concerns operating in the Far East. Many Chinese houses have been built and more are in course of erection in the Settlement. The Tientsin-Pukow Rail- way Co. has acquired a large piece of ground in the Settlement, and has built offices and dwelling-houses for members of the staff thereon.
Tsinanfu is connected by rail with Tsingtau (Kiaochau), distance 412 kilometres (Tientsin 340 kilometres), and by canal with Yang Chiao Kou, on the Gulf of Chihli, distance 146 miles, whence there are occasional steamers to Chefoo. Tsinan stands five miles south of the Huang-ho or Yellow River, and in spite of some difficulties of naviga- tion there is a considerable junk traffic between its river port of Lo-kou and the Grand Canal, which enters the river eighty miles higher up. This trade is almost, if not quite, entirely with the south, to Chining-chou and beyond, since the canal from the Huangho northward to Lin-ching-chou has been unnavigable for several years. The high