868
ICHANG
freshets, when the anchors should be sighted every two or three days. The port is the centre of a hilly country, the productions of which are rice in the valleys, cotton on the higher grounds, winter wheat, barley, and also the tungtzu trees, from which the ordi- nary wood oil is obtained by pressing the nuts gathered from the trees. In the sheltered valleys, amongst the mountain ranges west of the city, oranges, lemons, pomeloes, pears, plums, and a very superior quality of persimmons are grown, and find a ready market in the city and at Shasi. The importance of Ichang is chiefly that of an emporium for goods in transit to and from Chungking. All cargo for the latter port is landed here and transferred to steamers or chartered junks. In the same way cargo brought down in steamers or chartered junks from Chungking and intended for the lower river and coast ports, is transhipped here on steamers, which make regular voyages to and from Hankow. During the year 1917 the steamers plying between Ichang and Chungking consisted of the Shu-hun, Shu-tung, Tah-chuen and Lien-hua all under the Chinese flag, the Mei-tan under the American flag and the An-lan under the British flag. Steam navigation is usually practicable from the middle of April until the middle of December. The rates for foreign passengers vary considerably by the different vessels, but all are much higher than on the lower Yangtze. In view of the enhanced traffic, aids to navigation and rules of the road through the gorges have become urgent, and are now being undertaken by the Government, with a River Inspector functioning between Chungking and Ichang. The upward voyage to Chungking now takes about 5 days, and the return trip about 2 days. The survey of the railway to Chengtu has been completed, but construction has been delayed in consequence of the great European
war.
There has never been a census of the native population, but it is guessed to be about 40,000.
The net value of the trade of the port in 1916 was Tls. 6,629,451 as against Tls. 4,900,579 in 1915, Tls. 4,782,330 in 1914, Tls. 5,719,556 in 1913, Tls. 5,552,895 in 1912, Tls. 4,805,787 in 1911, and Tls. 13,385,356 in 1910.
DIRECTORY
司公油火亞細亞
ASIATIC PETROLEUM CO. (NORTHCHINA), LTD.
J. Kitto
T. Wooley, installation mgr.
古 Ta-koo 古太
BUTTERFIELD & SWIRE (John Swire &
Sons, Ltd.), Merchants-Tel. Ad: Swire
G. E. J. Rose
Agencies
China Navigation Company, Limited
Guardian Assurance Co., Ltd.
London & Lancashire Fire Ins. Co., Ld.
Taikoo Sugar Refining Co., Ld.
The Taikoo Dockyard and Engineering
Co., Ld., Hongkong
Union Insurance Society of Canton, Ld. Ocean Steamship Co., Ld.
China Mutual S. N. Co., Ld.
Royal Exchange Assurance
Orient Insurance Co., Ltd.
British Traders Insurance Co., Ltd. British & Foreign M. I. Co., Ltd. Standard M. I. Co., Ltd.
Sea Insurance Co., Ltd.
I
Chau-song-nee-ch'uk
CHINA MERCHANTS' STEAMNAVIGATION Co.
CONSULATES
府事頜法大 Ta-fa-ling-shih-fu
FRANCE
Consul-G. Lecomte (residing at Han-
kow)
Vice-Consul-L. Eynard
Elève Vice-Consul-L. Troy (absent)
Médecin du Consulat-Dr. J. Mesny
***** Ta Ying-ling-shih-fu
GREAT BRITAIN
Consul-
JAPAN
門衙事領本日大
*
Acting Consul-(resident at Shasi)
Ta-mei-'kuoh-ya-men
UNITED STATES
Consul-General for Hankow, Kiu- kiang, Ichang, and Shasi-E. S. Cunningham (residing at Hankow