Directory_and_Chronicle_1906 — Page 926

Directories & Chronicles 香港指南 All

SOOCHOW

州蘇 Si-chan

Soochow, the capital of the province of Kiangsu, lies about eighty miles west and a little north of Shanghai, with which it is connected by excellent inland water-ways, The Shanghai-Nanking Railway is to supply still better connection when the double line is ready. The city is a rectangle, its length from north to south being three and a half miles and its width from east to west two and a half, the total circumference being about 10 miles. It lies not far from the castern shore of the great Taihu lake. Past its walls runs the southern section of the Grand Canal, which joins Hangchow to Chinkiang; and in every direction spread creeks or canals, affording easy communication with the numerous towns in the surrounding country. It is an important manufacturing centre, with a population of over half a million. Its two chief manufactures are satins and silk embroideries of various kinds. In addition, it sends out silk goods, linen and cotton fabrics, paper, lacquerware, and articles in iron, ivory, wood, horn, and glass. Since the opening of the port, manufactures on foreign principles have been introduced and there are now two cotton mills and several silk filatures. Trade disputes stopped work for a quarter of the year 1904. Before the Taiping rebellion Soochow shared with Hangchow the reputation of being the finest city in China, but it was almost entirely destroyed by the rebels, who captured it on 25th May, 1860. Its recovery by Major (afterwards General) Gordon on 27th November, 1863, was the first effective blow to the rebellion. Since that disastrous period it has recovered itself greatly and is once more populous and flourishing, though it has not yet attained to its former pitch of prosperity. It is still infested by turbulent lawbreakers, who terrorise the vicinity. It was declared open to foreign trade on the 26th September, 1896, under the provisions of the Japanese treaty. The Foreign Settlement is under the southern wall of the city, just across the Canal, and is a strip of land about 1 miles long and a quarter of a mile broad. Some new roads have been made in this Settlement. The western portion has been reserved for a Japanese settlement. The government has made a good carriage road along the Canal bank extending the whole length of the Settlement, and as far as the North-west gate of the city, on which carriages and ricshas ply, and on fine days the road is crowded with people from the city, amusing themselves, walking and driving. The Chinese and European school was opened in 1900. The total value of the trade of the port passing through the Foreign Customs in 1904 was Tls. 3,147,766, as against Tls. 3,102,555 in 1903, and Tls. 543,348 in 1902. But this represents only a small portion of the total trade of the port, most of which passes through the Native Customs.

Directory_and_Chronicle_1906 — Page 926

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