SHANGHAI
7445
The Imperial Chinese Bank, under Chinese and European management, was opened by Imperial Decree in 1896.
TRADE AND COMMERCE
Shanghai is the great emporium for the trade of the Yangtsze and Northern and Corean ports, and to some extent for Japan. The total import and export trade of 1868 amounted to sixty-five million taels. It steadily increased each year until 1881, when it reached Hk. Tls. 141,921,357, but afterwards showed a great decline, the total for 1884 having been twenty per cent. less than that for 1881. There was, however, a rapid recovery up to 1905. From a Customs point of view 1920 stands out as a record year. The total trade, import and export, for the last eight years, as returned by the Customs Statistical Department, is given below:-
1913... Hk. Tls. 533,534,878 at Ex. 1.51 Mex. $805,637,665 at Ex. 3s. 01d., £ 80,585,997
$733,081,866
1914...
1915...
""
498,695,147 549,379,765
1.47
**
""
""
1.41
"
""
$774,625,468
""
1916...
571,245,672
1.54
""
1917...
580,232,838
1.63
"
""
1918...
627,094,382
1.61
"
"
$ 79,718,335 $945,779,526 $1,009,621,955
""
**
1919 ..
768,006,155
1.68
1920...
810,969,438
1.58
""
$1,290,250,310 $1,328,731,712
""
"
2s. 8 d., £ 68,051,150 2s. 7 d., £ 71,247,688 3s. 31 d., £ 94,761,326 4s. 37%d., £125,263,808 5s. 3 d., £165,755,416 6s. 4d., £243,201,949
16
6s. 9 d., £285,579,205
The following tables show the export of Tea and Silk for eight years:-
Tea- Black
Brick Green
1913...picuis 141,711 502,460 290,985 1913...73,446
1914...
196,817 400,015 277,565
1914...54,927
1915...
""
273,076 434,466
311,605
1915...79,089
1916...
222,381
404,910
""
296,214
1917 ..
175,232
214,570
208,292
1918...
73,351
79,716
164,175
""
1919... 1920...
19
146,232
149,344
249,658
40,248
""
4,642 157,063
24,260 1916...66,609 10,986 1917...66,837 11,826 1918...60,943 15,525 1919...82,289 14,099 1920...46,889
9,412
Silk Wild Waste Cocoons
23,762 76,480 19,530 13,727 52,474 20,863 39,879 31,170 106,448 23,398
71,451
29,428
81,467 28,550
77,988 30,894
51,496 24,544
The Import trade in Foreign Goods for 1920 was as follows:-
From Foreign Countries and Hongkong From Chinese Ports.
...
...
...
...
...
...
Hk. Tls. 383,917,526 6,236,589
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
Hk. Tls. 390,154,115
The following were the net values, after deducting re-exports, of the principal classes of Foreign Goods imported during that year:-
Cotton Goods. Tls. 44,620,875] Wol. and C'ton Mix. Tls. Metals
20,217,298 and Wol. Goods Tobacco,Cigars &c. 18,068,653] Timber
...
Dyes and Colours 15,291,043 Kerosene Oil, &c. 6,237,169 Ginseng Cotton, Raw
...
14,112,269 Coal
Machinery... 11,038,014 Sugar
...
...
...
Gunny & Cotton 6,522,273 Bags. 6,316,786 Fish, Salted, &c.
Tls.
1,287,963
1,085,555
898,178
...
6,049,116 Soap 5,255,054 Leather 2,625,012 Sundries 2,224,650
753,234
...
...
459,562
...
... 43,998,838
Cotton Yarn 10,518,067 Electl. Metal, &c.
Paper ...
...
...
7,053,079 Misc. Piece Goods
Total Hk. Tls. 224,632,688
Of the total gross value of goods imported (Hk. Tls. 390,154,115), goods valued at Hk. Tls. 15,254,376 were re-exported to Foreign Countries and Hongkong, and goods valued at Hk. Tls. 150,267,051 to Chinese Ports (chiefly to Northern and Yangtsze Ports). A striking feature of the last two or three years' trade has been the rapid growth in the part played by America in the commerce of the port.
Despite the highly satisfactory figures shown in the foregoing statements 1920 was a disastrous year from the merchants' point of view. It opened with a remarkable boom in trade all round, but by May the foreign markets, already glutted in 1918 and