TSINGTAO
A133
plain country on the north-east is alluvial and very fertile, and is carefully cultivated Wheat, barley, beans, millet, maize, groundnuts, leaf tobacco and many other grains in smaller quantities are grown. The foreign residential quarter at Tsingtao has been well laid out, and there are some good foreign hotels. The first sod of the Shantung Railway was cut by Prince Henry of Prussia in Octo- ber, 1899, and the line to Tsinanfu was opened on the 1st, June, 1904. It has done a prosperous business from the day it was opened.
The wireless installation at the Signal Berg, originally built by the Germans, was removed by the Japanese naval authorities in June, 1921, but a powerful new wireless station has been established by the Japanese military authorities at Taisichen. It is available to the public for "urgent" telegrams. A thoroughly equipped observatory was opened in January, 1912, with funds supplied by the Union of German Navy Leagues abroad. A boys middle school, built at a cost of Yen 228,000, now stands where the Germans had erected an aero-shed on the western slope of the Yamen Forts.. The port came under the control of the National Government on the 15th April, 1929, and was officially proclaimed to be a special area on the 1st May. The new municipality has been active in improving local conditions.
In May, 1929, a radiogram service was made available for commercial use. Roads in general are kept in a good state of repair and construction and extension have steadily increased with the result that at the end of 1933 the mileage of urban and suburban roads was 239 and 373 kilometers respec- tively. Finally, the motor-highway between Tsingtao and Chefoo, a distance of 150 miles, was completed, thus rendering available to motorists using Tsingtao as their base the use of various provincial highways. Private or commercial construc- tion work during 1932 comprised 538 buildings valued at about $3,850,000, among them various bank buildings and the Edgewater Mansions, a new and completely modern hotel. Additionally, the Municipality completed the reconstruction of the pier extending outwards from the main promenade towards the island known as small Tsingtao, at a cost of $260,000 and erected a public stadium at a cost of $197,000. Comprising as it does a running track, a football field, space for tennis, basketball, etc., it is in constant use by Chinese and Foreigners alike.
The Public Works Department has been steadily improving the water supply in spite of difficulties deriving from comparatively scanty rainfall and lack of access to rivers or lakes. The Telephone Administration has also been keeping abreast of local development and has undertaken the installa- tion of 400 additional instruments. Last, but by no means least, the greatest care is being given to education. Municipal expenditure in the latter con- nection has doubled in the past two years.
According to a Chinese census, the population has increased by over 18,000 persons during 1933 and now stands at a total of 444,690 inhabitants. A new concrete and granite pier in the Great Harbour, construction of which started in June 1932, was completed in February 1936. The port of Tsingtao was occu- pied by Japanese military forces on 10th, January, 1938.
TRADE IN 1939
While general conditions in Tsingtao seemed to have returned to normalcy with the formation of a municipal government, the extension in principle of the use of wharf facilities to Third Power vessels, and the resumption of night train service, a considerable portion of the interior remained closed to traffic and trade owing to the existence of a different currency and constant military operations against guerrillas. Nor did natural elements prove favourable. In striking contrast to Tientsin, which suffered a destructive flood, Tsingtao ex- perienced a very dry summer, resulting in shortage of water. On the other hand, at the end of August a devastating typhoon struck this part of the coast. However, it wrought less havoc in Tsingtao than along the coast, where agri- cultural plants, salt-fields, and salt in depot to the value of millions of dollars were totally destroyed. No socner was the typhoon over than Tsingtao was proclaimed a cholera-infected port for well over 50 days, though the disease took toll of less than 100 lives. It is gratifying to note that, despite all these difficulties, the year's total value of trade came up to the past record and was