Directory_and_Chronicle_1907 — Page 519

Directories & Chronicles 香港指南 All

WEIGHTS, MEASURES, MONEY

1 liang

16 liang 100 kin

(tael) make 1 kin

(catty) make 1 tan

120 kin

(catty) make 1 shia

CHINESE

WEIGHTS

=.

=

(tael)

1:333 oz. avoir., or 37 78 graminės (catty) 1.333 lbs. avoir., or 60453 grammes (picul) 133-333 lbs. avoir., or 60-453 kilogrammes 160.000 lbs. avoir., or 72-544 kilogrammes

(stone)

Four ounces equal three taels; one pound equals three quarters of a catty or twelve taels; one hundredweight equals 84 catties; one ton equals 16 piculs 80 catties.

10 koh

MEASURE OF CAPACITY

1 koh合(gill) make 1 sheng # (pint)

0:103 litre

= 1.031 litre

10 sheng Ħ make 1 tou 斗(peck) = 10:31 litre

MEASURE OF LENGTH

1 fun 分

10 fun

♬ make 1 tsun

(inch)

14 inch English = 1:41 inch English

10 tsun

make 1 chih

(foot)

=

10 chih

make 1 chang

(pole)

=

The length of the Chang is fixed by the

6 chih

make 1 pú

360 pú

步makelli

make 1 li

10 li

250 li

make 1 tu

141 inches English 11 ft. 9 inches English

Treaty of Tientsin at 141 inches.

(pace)

= about 5 feet English

= about English Mile

make 1 tang-sun (league) about 31 English Miles

里 tang-sun汛塘

5 chih

=

(degree)

LAND MEASURE

1 chih 尺

=

make 1 pú

24 pú 步 wake 1 fun 芬

60 pú

make 1 kioh

4 kioh

make 1 mow

100 mow

make 1 king t

13.126 inches

30-323 square feet

80-862 square yards

=202.156 square yards

26.73 square poles

16.7 acres

The Mow, which is the unit of measurement, is almost exactly one-sixth of an acre. Weights and measures in China vary in every province and almost every district, and differ in the same districts for different kinds of goods. The words picul, catty, tael, mace, candareen, are not Chinese.

-032 of a penny 32 of a penny

MONEY

1 li

***(cash)

make 1 fên

(candareen)

芬 make 1 chien 錢(mace)

28. 8d.

3.2 pence

10 li

10 fén

10 ch'ien make 1 liang (tael)

The Tael may be taken as worth one and a third silver dollar.

The above are weights of silver. They are not represented by any coin except the copper cash, which is supposed to be the equivalent in value of a li of silver, but the value of which differs greatly in different districts and at different times. They have no uniform intrinsic value, being made large and small and of varying composition. Silver is used uncoined in ingots, usually of fifty taels more or less, in weight, called "shoes," the usual shape beng not unlike a Chinese shoe. In the maritime district from Canton to Amoy chopped dollars are the general medium of exchange. In 1890 a mint was established for the coinage of silver dollars and subsidiary pieces, and more recently mints for silver and copper coinage have been opened at Nanking, Wuchang, and Tientsin, and others are projected. The coins, although supposed to be of equal weight and fineness, are differently inscribed. Some of the foreign banks issue tael and dollar notes of the value of one dollar and upwards at the larger of the Treaty Ports.

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