Directory_and_Chronicle_1907 — Page 969

Directories & Chronicles 香港指南 All

ICHANG

昌宜 I-Chang

Ichang is one of the four ports opened to foreign trade on the 1st April, 1877, in accordance with Clause 1, Section 3, of the Chefoo Convention. It is situated in lat. 30° 44′ 25′′ N., long. 111° 18′ 34′′ E., on the north bank of the river Yangtze, about 393 miles above Hankow, and some ten miles below the entrance to the great Ichang Gorge, or just about a thousand miles from the coast. The navigation of the river to this port is comparatively easy for vessels of light draught, but great care is necessary for all vessels when in the neighbourhood of Sunday Island, owing to the shiftings and banks. Ichang is practically the present limit of steam navigation on the Yangtze. The anchorage is off the left bank, opposite the foreign residences, and is good, except in freshets, when the anchors should be sighted every two or three days. The port is the centre of a hilly country, the productions of which are rice in the valleys, cotton on the higher grounds, winter wheat, barley, and also the tungtzu trees, from which the ordi- nary wood oil is obtained by pressing the nuts gathered from the trees. In the sheltered valleys, amongst the mountain ranges west of the city, oranges, lemons, pomeloes, pears, plums, and a very superior quality of persimmons are grown, and find a ready market in the city and at Shasi. Ichang has increased in importance since the opening of Chungking. All cargo for the latter port is landed here and transferred to chartered junks. In the same way cargo brought down in chartered junks from Chungking and intended for the lower river and coast ports, is shipped here on river steamers, which make regular voyages to and from Hankow,

Native opium is largely grown from here westwards, and is increasing in quantity and improving in quality. The export of opium in 1904 represented a value of Tls. 9,762,270. In 1905 it was thirty per cent. more in quantity, 17,486 cwts. against 13,533 ewts., and these figures do not include opium passing the Native Customs, 25,379 cwts. against 30,695 cwts. in 1904. Considerable quantities going by land routes also escape notice. The climate of Ichang is drier than that of the lower river ports- summers very warm, winters dry and pleasant. The native population was estimated by the British Consul in 1905 at some 40,000. The foreign residents are few in number, educated native agents representing the four or five foreign houses (three British) doing business here. Fine new Consular and Customs buildings and shipping offices have recently been erected and have improved the appearance of the settlement very

much. A German Post Office was opened in 1903,

The net value of the trade of the port was in 1905, Tls. 3,263,670, against Tls. 2,961,227 in 1904, and Tls. 3,189,566 in 1903. The gross value of the trade of the port in 1905 was 830,121,624, the total foreign imports representing a value of $16,731,869 of which, however, 8:5,913,060 were re-exported.

Directory_and_Chronicle_1907 — Page 969

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