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 Yang 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
to Wei 10 Hu 10 SЯu
10 Hao
10 Li
1 Hu
1 Ssu
1 Hao
1 Li
WEIGHTS-OLD STANDARD
≈ 1 Fen, or Candareen 10 Fen=1 Chien, or Mace
10 Chien 1 Liang, or Taei
= 87.79937 Grammes = 1.333 Avoirdupois Ounces 16 Liang ≈ 1 Chin, or Catty
604.7899 Grammes 1 1/3 lb.
NEW STANDARD METRIC STANDARD
100 Chin 1 Tan, or Picul
133,83 lb.
= 60,47899 Kilogranimes.
200 Chin 1 Ying
1 Kung Sau 10 Kung Ssu
10 Kung Hao
10 Kung Li
1 Miiligramme 1 Kung Hao 1 Centigramme 1 Kung Li
1 Decigramme
1 Kung Fen 1 Gramme
10 Shih Ssu 10 Shih Hao 10 Shih Li 10 Shih Fen
1 Shih Hao
1 Shih Li
1 Shih Fen
1 Shih Chien
10 Kung Fen
1 Kung Chien
10 Kung Chien
10 Kung Liang
1 Decagramme 1 Kung Liang = 1 Hectogramme 1 Kung Chin 1 Kilogramme
=
MARKET STANDARD
10 Kung Heng
10 Kung Chin = 1 Kung Hen
= 1 Myriagram
1 Kung = 1 Quinta1
10 Kung Shih
1 Kung Tung 1 Tonne
31 Grammes
10 Shih Chien
1 Shih Liang
16 Shih Liang =
16 Shih Liang
=
1 Shih Chin
✈ Kung Chin
500 Grammes 13 Liang & 4 Chien
(Kuping Weight)
100 Shih Chin1 Sbih Tan
CAPACITY-OLD STANDARD
6 Su
1 Keui
10 Ho
1 Sheng
10 Keui
1 Ch'ao
10 Ch'ao
10 Tsto 10 Shao
1 Ts'o 1 Shao
1 Ho
1,0354688 Litres
1.09416 Liquid Quarts
10 Sheng
6 Tou 2 Hu
1 Tou
= 0.27354 Gaiions
2 Shih
1 Hu =18hih = 1 Yin