MENGTSZ AND YUNNANFU
自蒙 Mêng-sĩ
Mengtsz is a district city in the south-east of Yunnan, and together with Manhao, a small village on the right bank of the Red River, was opened to trade by the Additional Convention to the French Treaty of Tientsin of the 25th April, 1886, signed at Peking on the 26th June, 1887. The town is two days' journey by pony from Manhao, but is only an hour's distance by train from Pishihchai, a station on the Tien-Yueh Railway. It is beautifully situated, being built on a cultivated plateau 20 miles long by about 12 miles in breadth, encircled by picturesque mountains, and is 4,280 feet above the level of the sea. The place was of much more importance before the Mahom- medan rebellion, as the numerous well-built temples, many of them now in ruins, still testify. The French Consul hoisted his flag at Mengtsz on the 30th April, 1889, and the Customs station was opened in the following August. Since the extension of the Tien-Yueh Railway to Yunnanfu and the removal of the French Consulate, the Customs headquarters and the Banque de l'Indo- chine to the provincial capital, Mengtsz has been dwindling into insignificance and its name is only remembered as one of historical importance.
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The climate of Yunnanfu--the provincial capital-is temperate and good, being at an altitude of 6,400 feet. From October to April, there is very little rain and a good deal of wind, but in June, July, August and September which is the rainy season the rainfall is about 49 inches in a year of heavy rain, and as low as 24 inches when the rains are scarce. When the rain is as low as the latter figure, there is a drought and harvests are poor, and when as the first figure there are floods and the harvest is similarly poor. Being at the terminus of the Tien-Yueh Railway, Yunnanfu is now becoming an important centre for the distribution of foreign and native goods imported via Tonkin. The whole town, now a Municipality, has a population of some 170,000, being the most densely-populated in the province. There are four Consulates the French, the British. the American and the Japanese, the last mentioned Consulate being temporarily closed. Decent hotels and electric lights are available; and there is a network of highways deviating from the town to the neighbouring districts and scenic spots.
TRADE IN 1937
Unlike the previous two years, during which Yunnanfu, the provincial capital and headquarters of the Mengtsz Customs, had been under threats from the communists, peace and order reigned in Yunnan throughout the whole of 1937. Despite the Sino-Japanese hostilities, trade in general showed a favourable balance in the Mengtsz Customs district. The trade statistics. in value were: direct importations from abroad, $9.6 million as against $8.1 million in the preceding year; coastwise importations of Chinese merchandise, $20.8 million as against $18.2 million; direct exportations to foreign coun- tries, $34.2 million as against $23.7 million; and coastwise exportations of Chinese produce, $1.9 million as against $3.3 million. A noteworthy increase was recorded in the import of foreign tools and machinery, due to growing activities in spinning, weaving, and leather-manufacturing industries, and improvements in the electric-lighting system. No foreign rice was imported during the year under review, harvests being exceedingly good throughout the province and the special duty rate on the import of rice from Indo-China having been withdrawn as from the 22nd July 1937. The trade in foreign. aniline dyes and artificial indigo suffered a sharp decline, the high prices ruling causing a reversion to the use of native vegetable indigo. Although