204
SHANGHAI
Council. The British Settlement is now assessed at Tls. 30,086,586, Hongkew at Tls. 22,255,615, and the Western district at Tls. 8,081,572. The assessment of the British and Hongkew divisions respectively was in 1880_Tls. 6,118,265 and Tls. 1,945,325, total Tls. 8,063,590; in 1890 Tls. 12,397,810 and Tls. 5,110,145, total Tis. 17,507,955. The totals for 1903 are thus five and a half times those of 1880 and two and a half times those of 1890. While the value of the land in the British Settlement had quadrupled that in Hongkew had increased to nearly eight times what it was worth twenty years previously. A great rise in values took place during the later months of 1895 and this has continued steadily ever since, chiefly caused by the influx of native capital seeking safe investment under foreign protection and by the great increase in population resulting from the establishment of numerous cotton mills, silk filatures, and other industries.
The total number of foreign houses in the four divisions of the general concession on 31st December 1903, was 2,129 assessed at Tls. 2,189,940, as against 1,940 houses assessed at Tls. 1,915,222 on the corresponding date in 1902. On 43,792 native houses the assessment was $5,218,894, against $4,450,523 on 43,048 houses same date the previous year, a total annual rental assessment of house property of say Tls. 5,947,544. In the Budget for 1904 of the French Concession, the land was valued for assessment at Tls. 6,800,000; the rental assessment of foreign houses was Tls. 175,000 and of native houses Tls. 750,000. The British and French Settlements, exclusive of the extensions acquired in 1899, are now all built over, and the vacant spaces in Hongkew are being rapidly covered. Many of the best foreign houses both in the Settlements, and outside roads are now occupied by Chinese, retired officials and merchants.
A greatly enlarged boundary for the Settlement was granted in 1901. This new territory has been thoroughly surveyed and many new roads are being formed. The area within Municipal limits is now 8 square miles, or 5,618 acres, with a population of 68.2 per acre. Of this area 641 acres approximately are covered by European build- ings, 1,009 by Chinese buildings and 2,720 acres are agricultural land. There are in the whole Settlement (exclusive of the French) 1,982 occupied European houses with an average of
4.19 inhabitants per house, and 42,882 occupied Chinese houses with an average of 8.07 occupants. There are 58 miles of roads and an ad- ditional 41, mostly in the extension, are planned. The Japanese treaty of 1896 gave that Power the right to a separate Settlement at Shanghai, but no definite claim has yet been made for such an area. Most of the land at Pootung on the opposite bank of the river, is now also rented by foreigners, but natives have recently been considerable purchasers of landed property within the Settlements. All ground belongs nominally to the Emperor of China, but is rented in perpetuity, a tax of fifteen hundred copper cash, equal to about a dollar and a half per mow, being paid to the Government annually. The Settlement land was bought from the original proprietors at about $50 per mow, which was at least twice its then value. Some lots have since been sold at $10,000 to $16,000 a mow,. About six mow equal one acre.
As a port for foreign trade Shanghai grew but gradually until it gained a great impetus by the opening in 1861 of the Yangtsze and northern ports, secured by the Treaty of Tientsin, and a further increase by the opening up of Japan. In March, 1848, owing to an assault on some missionaries near Shanghai, Mr. Alcock, the British Consul, blockaded the port and stopped the passage outwards of eleven hundred grain junks. This drastic measure, by which grain for the North was cut off, brought the authorities to their senses, and after sending a man-of-war to Nanking the matter was arranged. The first event of importance since the advent of foreigners was the taking of the city by the Triad rebels on 7th September, 1853, who held it for seventeen months, although repeatedly besieged and attacked by the Imperialists. This caused a large number of refugees to seek shelter within the foreign Settle- ments, and the price of land rose very considerably. At that time a Volunteer force was formed among the foreign residents, under the command of Captain, afterwards Sir Thomas, Wade, which did really good service. The battle of "Muddy Flat" was fought on 4th April, 1854, when the Volunteers, in conjunction with the Naval forces, consisting in all of 300 men with one field piece, drove the Imperialists, numbering 10,000 men, from the neighbourhood of the Settlements and burned their camps. Two of the Volunteers and one American were killed, and ten men wounded. Owing to the occupation of the city the authorities were powerless to collect the duties, which for a short time were not paid, and it was in consequence agreed in July, 1854, between the Taotai and the three Consuls (British, French, and United States), that they should be collected under foreign control. This was found to work so much to the advantage of the Chinese
Original from
UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN
No comments yet.
Private notes are available after approval.