Directory_and_Chronicle_1901 — Page 722

Directories & Chronicles 香港指南 All

WENCHOW

265

WÊNCHOW

HHH Wan-chau 州温

Wênchow-fu, one of the five ports opened to foreign trade by the Chefoo Convention, is the chief town in the department of the same name occupying the south-east corner of Chekiang province. The city is situated on the south bank of the river Ou-kiang, about twenty miles from its mouth, in lat. 27 deg. 18 min. 4 sec. N., long. 120 deg. 38 min. 28 sec. E. The site is a well cultivated plain, bounded on all sides, but at a distance of some five miles, by lofty hills. The walls are said to have been first erected during the fourth century, and enlarged and re-built by the Emperor Hung Wu in 1385. They are formed of stone, diagonally laid at the foundation, and partly also of brick, and measure about four miles in circumference. The streets are wider, straighter, and cleaner than those of most Chinese cities. They are mostly well paved with brick and kept in careful repair by the householders. They slope down on either side to waterways, which in their turn communicate with canals permeating the whole city. There are numerous large nunneries and temples in Wên-chow. The Custom-house, outside the chief gate, known as the Shwang Men or "Double Gate," the Taotai's Yamên, the Prefect's and other public offices in a cluster, and the Foundling Hospital, all near the centre, are the other chief buildings. The latter institution, built in 1748, contains one hundred apartments. Among the objects of greatest interest and curiosity to the stranger are two pagodas situated on "Conquest" Island, abreast of the city. They are both of great antiquity and, with the houses close by, were for some time the retreat of Ti Ping, the last Emperor of the Sung dynasty, when seeking to escape from the Mongols under Kublai Khan. The British Consul and the Customs outdoor staff occupy foreign built houses on the island. His Majesty Ti Ping has left behind him autographs preserved to this day in the adjoining temple. The estimated population of the city is 80,000.

There is no foreign settlement at Wênchow, and the foreign residents are a mere handful, consisting almost entirely of officials and missionaries. A large quantity of native opium is produced in the vicinity of Wênchow. There is a considerable native export trade in wood, charcoal, and bamboos, brought down the river on rafts from Ch'u-chow. The annual value of this trade is estimated to be not less than $2,000,000. The shops and yards engaged in it are situated in the west suburb, where immense quantities of bamboos and poles are kept on hand. Wênchow is also celebrated for its bitter oranges. The export of Tea in 1899 showed a considerable falling off as compared with 1898, which amounted to 13,047 piculs, as compared with 13,310 piculs in 1897. The value of the net trade of the port coming under the cognizance of the Foreign Customs for 1899 was Tls. 1,624,516, for 1898 Tls. 1,437,728, for 1897 Tls. 1,255,204, and for 1896 Tls. 1,083,221.

Directory_and_Chronicle_1901 — Page 722

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