Directory_and_Chronicle_1902 — Page 860

Mrs. R. Barbézieux Miss Yvonne

Miss Raymonde

MÊNGTSZ-HOKOW-SZEMAO

LADIES' DIRECTORY

Mrs. E. Curti Mrs. J. Maurel

Miss Madeleine Maurel

323

HOKOW

Hokow was opened to foreign trade by the Supplementary Convention between China and France of 20th June, 1895. A French Vice-consulate was established in August, 1896, which is subordinate to the Mengtsz Consulate, and an office of the Customs under the control of the Mengtsz Customs was opened at Hokow on 1st July, 1897. Hokow is picturesquely situated on the left bank of the Red River, at its junction with the Nanhsi River and is immediately opposite Laokay, an important garrison town in Tonkin. A Suspension Bridge across the Nanhsi River, completed in 1900, now connects Laokay and Hokow. The village has some 4,000 inhabitants, who live in bamboo houses and huts with thatched roofs. Hokow is about 420 li from Mengtsz by land. The total value of the trade of Hokow from July to December, 1897, was only Hk. Tls. 43,807. The value of the trade is not separately stated in the Mêngtsz Customs report for 1899, except that the revenue amounted to Tls. 3,142.

VICE-CONSULAT DE FRANCE

Vice-Consul-C. Sainson

DIRECTORY

Gérant du Consulat -Ch. Dupont

TELEGRAPHS-IMPERIAL CHINESE

Manager-Li Yu-chin

關分口河

Hokow-fen-kwan

CUSTOMS --IMPERIAL MARITIME

Branch Office of Mêngtsz Customs

Assistant-A. Wilson

Assistant Examiner--H. Dufour

SZEMA O

茅思 Sz-miu

Szemao, opened to the Tonkin frontier trade by the. Gérard Convention of 1895, and to British trade by the Burmah Convention of 1896, is situated in the south western part of the Province of Yunnan in latitude 22 deg. 47 min. 29 sec. N. and longi- tude 100 deg. 46 min. E. It is a sub-prefectural walled town built on a gently rising ground overlooking a well-cultivated plain. The elevation is 4,700 feet above the sea level, and the population is estimated to be about 15,000. The climate is delightful, the temperature rarely exceeding 80 degrees (Fahr.) during the summer and seldom falling below 50 degrees in the winter months. The plague, such a common visitor throughout Yunnan, is almost unknown in Szemao. The place is distant from both Yunnan-fu (the capital of the province) and Mengtsz 18 days, and from the French Laos frontier 6 days and from British

6 days and from British territory about 12 days. was opened in the early part of 1897, and so far has not fulfilled the expectations of its potential importance as a trading centre. The value of the trade of Szemao for 1900 was Tls. 185,511, compared with Tls. 213,894 in 1899, and Tls. 216,719 in 1898. No foreign traders reside at Szemao, the trade being entirely in the hands of local inerchants, who have no agencies in either Tonkin or Burmah. The principal article imported is raw cotton, which comes from the British Shan States, particularly

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