596
CHINA
for a loan of £10,000,000, to build a railway from Tatungfu, southwards through the centre of Shansi, to Tungkwan, where it will meet the Lung-Ts'in-Yü-Hai line, the company having the option to extend south-westwards to Chengtu, the total length being about 960 miles. Proposals were also in the air for further extensions south-east to Chungking, and then south-west to join the Yunnan Railway at Yünnanfu.
18. Chingchow to Nanning. By an agreement, dated February, 1914, with the Banque Industrielle de Chine, a line will be built from Chinchow (Yamchow), on the coast west of Pakhoi, to Nanning, thence through the Yukiang Valley to Paiseting and Kütsingfu (a town north-east of Yünnanfu), where it will join the Yünnanfu- Chungking line.
19. Sinyang (Honan). Tengyang (Anhui) Railway. Chinese Government pro- posal. Miles 270. Surveys completed.
20. Siangyang-Shasi Railway, 207 miles. Surveyed 1911.
21. Siangyang-Kuanghsui Railway, 130 miles. Surveyed 1911. 22. Yenchoufu-Kaifengfu Railway, via Tsaochoufu, 230 miles. 23. Wuhu-Nanking Railway, 55 miles.
24. Central Kiangsui Railway (Icheng-Shiherhuei-Kuachou-Yangchou-Taichoufu - Tsingkiangpu), 60 miles. Surveyed 1910. To be taken over by the Government.
25. Kwangsi Railway. From Canton to Wuchow, Nanning, Lungchow and connect at Langson with the Tongking Railway. Sections surveyed.
This is the first
26. Yushan-Changshan (Yuchang) Railway, Chinese capital. section of the projected Kiangsi Railway to connect with the Hunan system at Ping- hsiang) via Hsingan, Anjen, Nanchang, Linkiang, and Yuanchow.
27. Yunnanfu-Pose Railway. Partly surveyed.
28. Blagoveschensk-Harbin Railway, via Aigun and Mergen, with connection between Mergen and Tsitsihar.
29. Peking-Jehol-Chihfeng Railway, 270 miles. 30. Chinchow-Chihfeng Railway, 180 miles. 31. Kalgan-Dolonor Railway, 150 miles.
32. Dolonor-Chihfeng Railway, 200 miles.
33. Nanking to Pingsiang through Nanchang.
Preliminary survey made in 1914.
Total length, 643 miles. Estimated cost of construction and equipment, £7,608,925.
From Taonanfu to Jehol.
""
""
Changchun to Taonanfu.
Kirin to Kaiyuan via Hailung.
a point on the Taonanfu-Jehol Railway to a seaport.
HISTORICAL
The year 1900 will ever be memorable in the history of China for the "Boxer" rising, the last and a most determined attempt to break away from foreign influence and to revert to the exclusiveness of twenty centuries. Details of this great social and political upheaval may be found in preceding volumes of this Directory. The object of the rising, which was confined to the North, was the extermination of foreign native Christians and people known to be associated with foreigners. The Legation Quarter at Peking was besieged for two months by the Boxer rabble and the Imperial troops, the occupants being reduced to the verge of starvation. Troops were poured into China by all the European Powers, America and Japan, and it was not before 20,000 foreign troops had fought their way to the capital that the siege was raised. Over 250 Europeans were inurdered during the rising, and it was estimated that over 10,000 natives perished, most of them being Christians or the kinsmen of Christians.
In November, 1908, occurred the death of the Emperor Kwang Hsu, followed a day later by the death of the Empress Dowager Tzu Hsi. This news was unexpected, and there was consequently much suspicion for a time regarding the cause of the dual demise. The public were soon satisfied, however, that the deaths were due to perfectly natural causes. Dying childless, the late Emperor Kwang Hsu, acting in obedience to "the benign mandate" of the Empress Dowager Tzu Hsi, designated as he lay dying a son of Prince Ch'un, his brother, as his successor to the Throne. At the time of his accession the new sovereign was barely three years of age, and Prince Ch'un was ap- pointed to act as Regent during the Sovereign's minority. The events of the past ten years had convinced Tzu Hsi, who had been the virtual ruler since 1895, that the salvation of the country lay in a complete reformation of the Government. Accordingly, from being a reactionary of the worst type, she changed to an ardent advocate of reformn.
She promised the nation constitutional government and took steps to initiate the change. In