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:
1 Hu
10 Wei 10 Hu 10 Ssu 10 Hao 10 Li 10 Fen
1 Ssu
1 Chien, or Mace
WEIGHTS-OLD STANDARD
10 Chien — 1 Liang, or Tael
1 Hao
1 Li
16 Liang
1 Fen, or Candareen
37.79937 Grammes
1.333 Avoirdupois Ounces
1 Chin, or Catty
604.7899 Grammes
1 1/3 lb.
NEW STANDARD
METRIC STANDARD
100 Chin
= 1 Tan, or Picul
133,33 lb.
200 Chin
— 60.47899 Kilogranimes
1 Ying
1 Kung Ssu 10 Kung Ssu
10 Kung Hao
10 Kung Li
1 Milligramme 1 Kung Hao 1 Centigramme 1 Kung Li
1 Decigramme
10 Kung Fen
=1 Kung Chien
10 Kung Chien
1 Kung Fen 1 Gramme
10 Kung Liang:
1 Decagramme 1 Kung Liang = 1 Hectogramme =1 Kung Chin
1 Kilogramme
MARKET STANDARD
10 Shih Sau 10 Shih Hao 10 Shil Li 10 Shih Fen
1 Shih Hao
1 Shih Li
1 Shih Fen
10 Shih Chien
16 Shih Liang
1 Shih Chien
1 Shih Liang — 31 Grammes
1 Shih Chin
Kung Chin
10 Kung Chin 1 Kung Hen 1 Myriagram 10 Kung Heng — 1 Kung
= 1 Quintal
10 Kung Shih
16 Shih Liang
1 Kung Tung
1 Tonne
= 500 Grammes
13 Liang & 4 Chien (Kuping Weight) 100 Shih Chin 1 Shih Tau
CAPACITY-OLD STANDARD
6 Su
1 Keui
10 Ho
1 Sheng
10 Keui
1 Ch'ao
10 Ch'ao
10 T's'q 10 Shao
1 Ts'o
1 Shao
1 Ho
1,0354688 Litres
10 Sheng
5 Tou
1 Tou
1 Hu
1.09416 Liquid Quarts 0.27354 Gallons
2 Hu
1 Shih
2 Shih
1 Yin