WEIGHTS AND MEASURES
In China, Standards of Weights, Measures and Length vary all over the country. Generally speaking, two kinds of standard are now in use, namely, the old and the new. The old standard was formulated from the Weights and Measures Law promulgated in 1914, establishing a double system, the standard metric unit and that based on Ying Tsao Ch'ih or "Builder's Foot" for length and Kuping tael or Liang for weight. The law governing the new standard was promulgated by the National Government on February 6, 1929 and it is intended to be the legal standard of weights and measures acceptable throughout China. For convenience sake and customary usage it also established a double system; one is the standard metric unit and the other, which is temporary in nature and to be abolished as soon as the people are accustomed to the use of standard units, is designed only for market use. However, the latter is derived from the former by taking one litre of Kung Sheng as one Shih Sheng which is nearest to the Chinese customary unit of capacity Sheng one half kilogram as one Shih Chin which is the average weight of the different varieties of "Chin" in different localities; and one third of a meter or Kung Ch'ih as one Sh'ih Ch'ih which is the average length of different varieties of Chinese "Foot" in different localities, thus constituting the so-called 1-2-3-system of Chinese weights and measures based on International metric standard. Such a system, as devised by the Ministry of Industry, Commerce and Labour and proclaimed by the National Government to be put into force may also have great bearing on the users of British "Foot-Pound system by taking the following approximate value: 1 quart equals to 1 litre, 1 pound equals to kilogram and 1 yard equals to 1 meter. The Russian and Japanese system can also be thus varied accordingly so as to fit themselves to the International System. The following is a comparative table showing both the old and the new standards together with their approximate foreign equivalents :-
WEIGHTS---OLD STANDARD
17
1 Hu 1 Sau
1 Hao
1 Li
10 Wei 10 IIu 10 Ssu
10 Hao 10 Li 10 Fen
1 Chien, or Mace
10 Chien
1 Liang, or Tael
5
16 Liang
1 Fen, or Candareen
37.79937 Gramnies
1.333 Avoirdupois Ounces
1 Chin, or Catty
604.7899 Grammes 1 1/3 lb.
NEW STANDARD
METRIC STANDARD
100 Chiu
1 Tan, or Picul - 133.33 lb.
200 Chin
60.47899 Kilogrammes
1 Ying
1 Kung Ssu
10 Kung Ssu
10 Kung Hao
10 Kung Li
1 Kung Fen
1 Milligramme 1 Kung Hao 1 Centigrainme 1 Kung Li 1 Decigramme
1 Gramme
10 Kung Fen
1 Kung Chien
16 Kung Chin
1 Decagramme
10 Kung Chien
10 Kung Heng
10 Kung Liang
10 Kung Shih
10 Shih Ssu 10 Shih Hao 10 Shib li 10 Shih Fen
-
1 Kung Liang 1 Hectogramme 1 Kung Chin 1 Kilogramme
MARKET STANDARD
1 Shih Hao
10 Shin Chien
1 Shih Li
1 Shih Fen
1 Shih Chien
16 Shih Liang
་་
1 Shih Liang 31 Grammes 1 Shih Chin
Kung Chin
16 Shih Liang
100 Shih Chin
CAPACITY---OLD STANDARD
1 Kung Heng 1 Myriagramme
1 Kung Shih
1 Quintol
1 Kung Tung 1 Tonne
500 Grammės 13 Liang & 4 Chien (Kuping Weight)
1 Shih Tan
6 Su
1 Keui
10 Ho
1 Sheng
10 Keui
1 Chao
1.035 1688 Litres
10 Ch'ao
1 Ts'o
10 Ts'o 10 Shao
1 Shao
1 Но
1.09416 Liquid quarts
10 Sheng
5 Tou 2 Hu
1 Tou
1 Hu
1 Shih
== 0,27354 Gallons
2 Shih
- 1 Yin