Directory_and_Chronicle_1908 — Page 748

TIENTSIN

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Shimonoseki, and have made excellent progress in the filling of land and laying out of new streets. They propose to build 350 houses in foreign style. During 1901 Russia, Belgium, Italy, and Austro-Hungary all appropriated large areas on the left bank of the Hai-ho as future Settlements, while the existing concessions have all extended their boundaries very considerably. These developments have thrown all present and future landing facilities for direct sea-going traffic into Foreign hands. Very extensive building operations are going on throughout the concessions, which have excellent and well-lighted roads, with an electric tramway system. The British Municipality has a handsome Town Hall, completed in 1889; adjoining there is a well- kept public garden, opened in the year of Jubilee and styled Victoria Park. An excellent recreation ground of ten acres is also being developed, and three miles distant there is a capital race-course, one of the best in China, with a grand stand and stables not to be found in any other port. There are many hotels, two clubs (Tientsin Club and Concordia, the latter chiefly German), two excellent libraries and three churches (Roman Catholic, Anglican, and Union). Electric lighting was introduced in June 1905, Distilling is one of the largest local industries; it is chiefly from kowliang (sorghum) or millet. Although a spirit, it is called "wine," and is exported to the soutli in large quantities. The manufacture of coarse unrefined salt by the evaporation of sea water is also carried on near Taku; the produce is stacked some distance down river at the first cutting where all the salt junks now go. It was formerly stacked on the river bank opposite the British concession, and sometimes gave off very offensive smells, rendering life a burden. The trade in salt is a Government monopoly. Carpets, shoes, glass, coarse earthenware, and fireworks are also made in farge quantities in the city, but Tientsin is at present essentially a centre for distribution and collection rather than for manufacture, The exports include coal, wool (from Kokonor, Kansuh, etc.), bristles, straw braid, goat skins, furs, wine, etc. The export trade is a creation only some 15 or 20 years old, and is largely due to foreign initiative. Wool cleaning and braid and bristle sorting are the chief industries in the foreign hongs except those of the Russians, who are exclusively engaged in the transit of tea. The imports are of the usual miscellaneous nature: armis, tea for the Desert and Siberia, mineral oil, matches, and needles figure next to piece goods. The fine arts are unknown to the Tientsinese except in the shape of cleverly male mu‹l-figures; these are painted and make really adinirable statuettes, but are difficult to carry away, being remarkably brittle.

The export coal trade may be expected to develop rapidly, as the Chinese Corpora- tion has been replaced by a strong combination of British and Belgian capitalists registered as an English limited liability company. The output and sale of the Kaiping collieries is about 700,000 tons a year, of which about 25,000 tons is ship- ped from Tientsin, and 200,000 tons from Chinwangtao, which may be regarded as one of the auxiliary ports of Tientsin. The supply in Tientsin itself is not always sufficient, however, and the Peking Syndicate hard coal is being welcomed by the residents. During 1905 there was virtually a coal famine in the port. Prices ruled high. The general trade is increasing, and no wonder, as Tientsin is practically the only sea outlet for the entire trade of the provinces of Chihli, Shansi, Shensi, Kansuh, and part of Honan, with a population not far short of 100,000,000. The total net value of the trade in 1906, less re-exports, was Tls. 112,864,555 as compared with Tls. 96,565,672 for 1905, and Tls. 68,954,694 for 1904. The net foreign imports in 1906 were valued at Tls. 64,422,439 as compared with Tls. 59,649,982 in 1905, Tls. 36,178,819 in 1904, and Tls. 37,463,829 in 1903; and the native imports at Tls. 26,616,808 as compared with Tls.22,185,331 in 1905, and Tls. 36,178,019 in 1904. The export trade, which twenty years ago was practically nil, was in 1906, not including re-exports, Tls. 21,825,308, showing an advance of six millions on the previous year's. returns. In 1905 the trade of the port was described as beating all records, both in value of trade, tonnage, and revenue, the latter having increased by about fifty per cent." That record was handsomely beaten in 1906. The total steam tonnage entered and cleared was 2,391,986, and sail tonnage 19,528. The Customs revenue was Tls. 3,400,007.

Tientsin has played a great part in the history of China during the momen- tous years of the Boxer outbreak; after the capture of the Taku Forts and its own relief from twenty-seven days' siege in June-July, 1900, it became the primary base for the Allied invasion of North China. As the centre of the foreign influence, and the new learning in North China, it incurred the particular odium of the Boxers, and was the first object of their attack when they left Protingfu at the end of May. They arrived in the city at the beginning of June

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