CHINA
499
Year.
1904
Average Exchange.
...
Imports.
Exports.
S. d.
Hk. Tls.
£
Hk. Tls.
£
2 10
348,603,090
49,966,442
239,486,683
34,326,424
1905 1906
...
...
1907
1908
1909
...
1910
1911
1912
...
...
1913
1914
...
...
...
1915
1916
1917
...
4
•••
3៖
1918
...
...
...
1919 1920
6
...
6 9
...
1921
...
3
11
16
1922
3
9
...
1923
3
...
51
1924
...
...
3
1925
...
...
3 5%
Q323 KO W W NNNN03 03 03
458,340,485
68,942,047
227,888,197
34,278,183
3
2
8
0
414,184,061 68,167,793 236,456,739 38,916,838 422,838,531 68,711,261 264,380,697 42,961,863 396,261,991 52,834,931 276,660,403 36,888,053 417,586,237 54,264,460 338,992,814 44,051,410 462,437,260 62,260,433 380,833,328 51,273,653 473,517,685 63,628,938 377,338,166 50,700,286 471,809,192 72,000,048 370,520,403 56,544,517 570,064,696 86,103,508 403,305,546 60,915,191 546,425,219 74,564,285 345,280,874
47,116,943
454,475,719 58,939,820
418,861,164
54,321,457
516,406,995 86,767,390
481,797,36
78,820,556
462,931,630
99,940,188
128,430,019
630,809,411 199,756,313 541,631,300 183,928,963 601,255,537 118,841,915 654,891,933 122,792,237
752,917,416 771,784,468
130,976,259
142,947,825
947,864,944
776,352,937
135,859,262
549,518,774 118,633,090 554,893,082 146,670,958 646,997,681 204,882,600 762,250,230 258,847,474 906,122,439 179,100,763 945,049,650 177,196,809 923,402,887 160,633,627 183,441,015 165,876,365
75 1,018,210,677
485,883,031
It will be observed in this table that an increase in silver values does not always. mean an increase in trade when measured in sterling.
HISTORICAL
The year 1900 will ever be memorable in the history of China for the “Boxer' rising. 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 murdered 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 reform. She promised the nation constitutional government and took steps to initiate the change. In her valedictory address she directed that the occupant of the Throne should fulfil the promises she had made, and the opening of the new reign was marked by a succession of Reform Edicts giving promise of the fulfilment, at last, of the long-cherished hopes for the country's regeneration. Scarcely two years had passed, however, before the country was swept by a revolution vastly different in its purpose from the abortive Boxer rising just eleven years previously. It developed as if by magic although, for many years, there had been reform propaganda in China. In 1895 the Empress Dowager, alarmed by the Emperor Kwang-Hsu's reform proclivities, usurped the Throne, made the Emperor virtually a prisoner in his palace, had many of the leading reformers executed, and put a high price on the heads of all who had escaped